W-y 


\\y^Y 


itntiiu^itiHtniHiii 


i 


BV  772  .D5  1836 
Dick,  Thomas,  1774-1857. 
An  essay  on  the  sin  and  the 
s^e,      evils  of  covetousness 


AN    ESSAY 
ON    THE    SIN    AND    THE    EVILS 

OP 

COVETOUSNESS; 


THE  HAPPY  EFFECTSfWHICH  WOULD  FLOW 

FROM    A   spirit/of 

CHRISTIAN   BENEFICENCE. 


ILLUSTRATED  BY  A  VARIETY  OF  FACTS,  SELECTED  FROM  SACRED 
AND   CIVIL   HISTORY,   AND   OTHER   DOCUMENTS. 


BY  THOMAS'^ICK,  LL.  D. 

AUTHOR    OF    THE    "CHRISTIAN    PHILOSOPHER," — "PHILOSOPHY     OF    RELIGION' 
"PHILOSOPHY  OF  A  FUTURE  STATE," — "IMPROVEMENT  OF  SOCIETY  BY  THE 
DIFFUSION   OF   KNOWLEDGE," — "THE    MENTAL  ILLUMINATION 
AND   MORAL  IMPROVEMENT   OF   MANKIND,"   etC.  etC. 


NEW  YORK. 
ROBINSON,  PRATT  &  CO 

259    PEARL    STREET. 

1836. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1836,  by  Robinson, 
Pratt  &  Co.,  in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  Con- 
necticut. 


Case,  Tiffany  &  Co.,  Printers Hartford,  Conn. 


PSIHCETOIT     ^'^ 


thsologio.^l/ 

PREFACE. 


The  subject  of  the  following  treatise,  considered  in  all  its 
aspects,  is  one  which  has  an  important  bearing  oa  the  happi- 
ness and  improvement  both  of  Christian  and  Civil  society. 
Impressed  with  a  deep  conviction  of  this  truth,  the  author 
intended,  sometime  ago,  to  address  his  fellow-men  on  the 
subject ;  but  other  engagements  prevented  him  from  entering 
on  the  consideration  of  the  several  topics  connected  with  it, 
till  about  the  month  of  August  last,  when  a  Prize,  to  be  given 
for  the  best  Essay  on  the  subject,  was  announced  in  some  of 
our  religious  periodicals.  Being  then  engaged  in  conducting 
his  work  '•'  On  the  Mental  Illumination  of  Mankind,"  &c., 
through  the  press,  and  in  various  other  avocations,  he  could 
not  find  leisure  to  finish  the  Essay  within  the  time  prescribed  in 
the  advertisement.  It  was,  however,  sent  sometime  afterwards, 
and  returned  unopened^  on  the  ground  "  that  the  carriage  and 
porterage  of  it  were  not  paid  ;''"'  and  had  it  not  been  for  a  par- 
ticular circumstance,  the  package  might  have  been  lost,  as 
there  was  no  intimation  on  its  exterior  as  to  whom  it  should 
be  addressed  and  returned.  These  circumstances  the  author 
was  disposed  to  consider  as  little  short  of  an  exemplification 
of  Covetousness — the  very  evil  which  the  Essays  advertised 
for  were  intended  to  counteract.  For,  although  a  hundred 
Essays  had  been  sent,  the  carriage  of  which  was  two  shillings 
each,  the  whole  sum  thus  expended  would  not  have  amounted 
to  above  £10 — which  could  only  be  a  trivial  sum  to  the  indi- 
viduals who  offered  the  Prize.  And  equity  required,  that 
those  who  had  been  at  the  expense  of  paper  and  quills,  and 
who  had  devoted  a  certain  portion  of  their  time  to  the  subject, 
in  compliance  Avith  the  request  of  those  gentlemen,  should 
have  been  freed  from  the  expense  of  carriage,  especially  when 


IV  PREFACE. 

no  intimation  of  this  circumstance  was  contained  in  the  an- 
nouncement. But  we  too  frequently  find,  that  it  is  much 
easier  to  laud  a  virtue  than  to  practice  it,  and  to  denounce  a 
vicious  principle  than  to  act  in  opposition  to  it. 

The  Essay  is  now  presented  to  the  public  by  the  Author, 
on  his  own  responsibility,  as  he  originally  intended,  in  the 
hope  that  it  may  not  be  altogether  inefficient,  in  counteracting 
the  principle  of  Covetousness,  and  stimulating  the  Christian 
to  those  noble  acts  of  Beneficence  by  which  physical  and 
moral  evil  may  be  prevented,  religious  society  improved,  and 
the  world  enlightened  and  regenerated.  Having  been  com- 
posed in  the  course  of  four  or  five  months,  and  in  the  midst  of 
many  interruptions  and  avocations,  it  is  hoped,  the  critical 
reader  will  candidly  overlook  any  slight  inaccuracies  it  may 
contain. 

Should  any  pecuniary  emolument  be  derived  from  the  sale 
of  this  volume,  the  greater  portion  of  it  will  be  devoted  to  the 
purpose  of  social  and  religious  improvement. 

Broughty  Ferry,  near  Dundee, 
April,  1836. 


GENERAL    CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION. 

Remarks  on  the  necessity  of  giving  more  particular  attention  to  the 
duties  of  practical  Chistianity,  &c.  pp.  13-18.    Plan  of  the  Essay,  18. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Oyi  the  disposition  or  'propensity  designated,  by  Covetousness  and 
the  VARIOUS  modes  in  which  it  has  operated  in  the  world,  and  in  Chris- 
tian society. 

General  remarks — description  of  covetousness,  19,  20. 

Section  1.  On  the  operations  and  effects  of  covetousness  as  displayed 
in  the  vwrldat  large,  21. 

Historical  sketch  of  its  operations  and  progress  in  ancient  times, 
22-3.  Modern  examples— plunder  of  Mexico  and  Peru — Slave  trade — 
Colonization,  Piracy,  &c.  23-31. 

Section  2.  On  the  effects  of  covetousness,  and  the  manner  in  which 
it  has  displayed  itself  aviong  those  icho  acknowledge  the  authority  of 
Christianity,  and  profess  to  submit  to  its  dictates,  32. 

Benevolent  dispositions  of  the  first  Christians,  &c.  32-33.  Progress 
of  Covetousness  in  the  Christian  Church — rapaciousness  of  the  Popes 
and  Bishops — sale  of  indulgences — vast  quantity  of  wealth  extorted 
from  the  people  by  the  Romish  church,  on  the  continent  and  in  Eng- 
land— practices  of  the  Pope's  Nephews — extracts  from  the  writings  of 
an  Italian  Catholic,  &c.  34-44.  Operations  of  covetousness  in  Pro- 
testant and  Evangelical  churches,  45.  Miscellaneous  remarks.  1. 
Practice  of  hoarding  vioney  and  acquiring  houses  and  lands,  46.  De- 
scription of  a  miser,  49.  Various  examples  of  avarice,  50-53.  2. 
Gratifying  a  desire  for  ostentatious  displojj,5i.  3.  Providing  ^or^i^ns 
for  child.ren,  57.  4.  Covetousness  in  the  mercantile  transactions  of 
mankind,  60.  5.  In  cas^s  oi  bankruptcy,  Q^.  6.  As  it  sometimes  ap- 
pears in  the  conduct  of  ministers  of  religion,  43-47.  Miscellaneous  ex- 
amples, in  people  professing  evangelical  rehgion,  65.  Covetousness  of 
Great  Britain,  in  a  tiational  point  of  view,  74.  Various  instances — 
Revenues  derived  from  the  support  of  idolatry  in  India — scenes  of  Jug- 
gernaut— description  of  his  temple,  &c.— Pilgrim  hunters — General  re- 
flections, 75-83. 


VI  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  II. 

On  the  absurdity  and  irrationality  of  Covetousness.  85. 

Proof  of  the  in-ationality  of  covetousness — from  the  noble  intellec- 
tual faculties  with  which  man  is  endowed,  85 — from  the  absolute  want 
of  utility,  which  characterizes  avarice,  88 — from  its  incapacity  of  af- 
fording rational  enjoyment,  91 — from  the  consideration  of  man's  immor- 
tal destination,  94. 

CHAPTER  III. 

On  the  inconsistency  of  Covetousness  with  the  Word  of  God,  99. 

The  idolatry  and  atheism  of  covetousness  particularly  illustrated,  99. 
It  forms  an  impassable  barrier  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  115 — incon- 
sistent with  the  idea  of  our  being  redeemed  by  the  blood  of  Christ,  120 — 
inconsistent  with  love  to  God,  123 — its  malignity  demonstrated  from 
the  numerous  cautions  o,nd  exhortations  of  Scripture,  in  relation  to  this 
propensity,  125.  Selection  of  a  variety  of  Scriptural  declarations  on 
this  subject,  126.     General  remarks  and  reflections,  130-2. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

On  th'e  Evils  which  flow  from  Covetousness,  133. 

The  covetous  man  a  thief  and  robber.  He  robs  his  Maker,  133 — he 
robs  the  poor  and  distressed,  137 — he  robs  his  family  and  himself,  138 — 
he  robs  society,  138.  Covetousness  leads  to  falsehood  and  injustice, 
139 — destroys  natural  feeling  and  tenderness  of  conscience,  142 — leads 
to  the  indulgence  of  murderous  wishes,  and  to  murder  itself,  144 — pre- 
vents the  administration  of  the  law,  and  the  ends  of  public  justice,  (il- 
lustrated with  examples,)  147-151 — transforms  many  of  the  ministers 
of  religion  into  hunters  after  places  and  pensions,  151 — leads  to  pre- 
sumption and  a  virtual  denial  of  Providence,  15.5 — has  produced  all  the 
public  evils,  wars,  &c.  which  have  prevailed  in  the  world,  158 — pre- 
vents the  extension  of  the  Christian  church  and  the  improvement  of  so- 
ciety, 1G2.  What  Avould  be  the  consequences,  were  it  universally  to  pre- 
vail, 164 — it  infallibly  leads  to  misery  in  the  life  to  come,  167. 

CHAPTER  V. 

On  the  Principles  by  which  Christians  should  be  directed  in  the  ap- 
plication of  their  ivealth,  171. 

Preliminary  remarks — general  observations  connected  with  this 
topic — God  the  original  source  of  wealth,  172.  Riches  a  trust  to  be  em- 
ployed in  his  service,  173.  Chrisiians  bound  to  such  appropriation, 
from  a  consideration  oHhe  love  of  Christ,  176.  A  particular  enquiry 
into  the  proportion  o{  wealth  which  should  be  directly  consecrated  to 
the  service  of  God,  178.  General  remarks  and  maxims  on  this  point — 
considerations  to  direct  us  in  this  particular. — 1.  Proportion  of  wealth 
dedicated  to  God,  under  the  Jewisli  economy,  179.  Proportion  of  wealth 
which  might  be  raised  in  Great  Britain  for  religious  and  philanthropic 
pui-poses,  183.  2.  Voluntary  contiibutions  made  at  different  times 
under  the  O.  T.  dispensation,  184.  Offerings  at  the  erection  and  dedi- 
cation of  the  tabernacle,  185 — at  the  dedication  of  the  temple,  186 — 


CONTENTS.  Vll 

offerings  by  Josiah,  Hezekiah,  David,  &c.  187-9.  3.  Predictions  of 
the  prophets  in  reference  to  the  liberality  to  be  displayed  by  the  Chris- 
tian church,  190.  Remarks  on  these  predictions,  192.  Amount  of 
what  might  be  raised  in  our  country,  195.  Appeal  to  Christians,  195-7. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

On  the  Benefits  which  would  flow  to  the  world,  were  covetousness 
undermined,  and  an  opposite  principle  prevailing  in  Christian  socie- 
ty, 199. 

General  remarks,  199.  Provision  for  the  external  comfort  of  the  poor 
and  destitute,  200.  State  of  the  poor  in  Ireland,  in  Italy,  &c.  201-5. 
Method  of  promoting  the  best  interests  of  the  poor,  206.  Improvement, 
of  general  society — removal  of  physical  evils,  208.  Original  and  pres- 
ent state  of  the  globe — evils  which  require  to  be  removed,  and  scriptu- 
ral predictions  in  relation  to  this  sJjject,  208-16.  Universal  education 
would  be  promoted,  217.  Utility  of,  in  reference  to  the  spread  of  the 
gospel,  218.  Defects  in  this  respect,  in  the  present  state  of  society,  219. 
Expense  of  establishing  universal  instruction,  220.  Promotion  of 
science  and  art,  221.  Connection  of  science  and  art  Vv  ith  the  objects  of 
religion,  222.  The  progress  of  Christianity  would  be  promoted,  225 — 
exertions  requisite  for  this  end,  and  the  extent  of  the  object  to  be  accom- 
plished, 226-7 — reflections  on  this  subject,  and  appeal  to  Chi-istians, 
228-32.  Preparation  might  soon  be  made  for  the  speedy  arrival  of  the 
millenniura,  233.  Predfctions  in  relation  to  this  period — by  what 
means  it  will  be  introduced — arrangements  requisite  for  preparing  the 
way  for  its  arrival — addresses  to  professing  Christians  on  this  sub- 
ject, 233-43. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

On  the  Means  to  be  employed  for  the  counteraction  of  Covetous- 
ness, 245. 

Introductory  remarks — frequent  preaching  and  public  discussions  on 
this  subject,  246.  Duty  of  Christian  churches  in  relation  to  their  mem- 
bers, 2-18.  Moi'e  particular  care  requisite  than  hitherto,  for  detecting 
the  latent  principle  of  avarice,  and  for  exciting  to  liberality,  248.  Acts 
which  display  the  covetous  principle — various  examples  illustrative  of 
this  subject,  250—4.  The  churches  of  Christ  should  now  begin  to  dis- 
tinguish themselves  by  a  spirit  of  liberality,  254.  Examples  of  liberal- 
ity, in  Britain  and  America,  calculated  to  stimulate  Christians  to  this 
duty,  255-65.  Various  remarks  on  this  subject,  265.  Associations 
might  be  foniied  for  encouraging  liberality  and  counteracting  ava- 
rice, 266. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Considerations  addressed  to  professing  Christians,  and  others,  as  to 
their  affections  and  conduct  in  relation  to  Covetousness. 

I.  To  professing  Christians  in  general.  1.  God  claims  the  supreme 
affection  of  the  heart,  which  is  incompatible  with  the  indulgence  of 
covetousness,  269.  Hints  for  self-examination  on  this  point,  270-1; 
2.  Considerations  founded  on  our  redemption  by  Christ,  271.  3.  On 
the  privileges  siud  prospects  of  Christians,  273. 


VIU  CONTENTS. 

II.  Considerations  addressed  to  the  Covetous,  276.  Wealth  cannot 
secure  from  misery  and  calamity,  276.  Riches  uncertain,  as  to  their 
enjoyment,  277.  Folly  and  unreasonableness  of  covetous  affections — 
illustrated  from  facts,  and  various  considerations,  279-85.  Light  in 
which  wealth  will  be  viewed  at  the  hour  of  death,  285.  Difficulty  of 
subduing  the  covetous  propensity,  287.  Covetous  affections  necessarily 
unfit  men  for  the  enjoyment  of  celestial  bliss,  288.  Appeals  on  this 
subject,  289-90. 

III.  Considerations  addressed  to  Christians  on  whom  God  has  be- 
stowed wealth  and  influence,  290.  Expostulations  with  such,  on  the 
proportion  of  wealth  they  ought  to  allot  for  the  promotion  of  religion, 
&c.  291-96.  Necessity  of  extraordinary  exertions  being  made  for  the 
renovation  of  society,  296.  Inconsistency  of  professors  of  religion,  in 
not  bequeathing,  at  their  decease,  a  portion  of  their  wealth  for  religious 
purposes,  298.  Illustration  of  the  spirit  and  import  of  our  Saviour's 
maxim,  "  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive,"  299-303.  Con- 
siderations founded  on  the  fleeting  nature  of  earthly  things,  303 — on  the 
promises  and  declarations  of  God — selection  of  Scripture  passages 
calculated  to  inspire  the  Christian  with  contentment  and  dependence 
on  God  for  his  temporal  support,  305-8.  Sentiments  on  this  subject, 
and  anecdote  from  Dr.  Witherspoon,  308. 


APPENDIX. 

Statements  in  relation  to  the  condition  of  the  lower  classes  in  Ire- 
land, 311-16.     Reflections  on  these  statements,  316-18. 


_,f   PEIHCETOIT.    ^7 


ESSAY 


ON  COVETOUSNESS,  OR  THE  LOVE  OF  MONEY. 


IIVTRODUCTION, 


Christianity  has  now  subsisted  in  the  world 
throughout  the  lapse  of  eighteen  hundred  years.  Du- 
ring the  first  periods  of  its  existence  when  its  facts  and 
doctrines  were  propagated  in  their  native  purity  and 
simplicity,  uncontaminated  with  Pagan  ceremonies  and 
worldly  maxims  ;  its  progress  was  rapid,  and  was  ac- 
companied with  many  astonishing  and  auspicious  re- 
sults. The  empire  of  the  Prince  of  Darkness  was 
shaken  to  its  centre,  the  altars  of  Paganism  were  over- 
turned, its  oracles  struck  dumb,  its  worship  forsaken, 
and  its  temples  levelled  with  the  ground.  "  The  word 
of  the  Lord  had  free  course  and  was  glorified,"  and 
multitudes  both  of  men  and  women,  of  the  higher  and 
the  lower  ranks  of  society,  formerly  immersed  in  all  the 
vices  and  abominations  of  heathenism,  were  "  turned 
from  darkness  to  hght,  and  from  the  worship  of  dumb 
idols  to  the  service  of  the  living  God."  By  the  un- 
wearied labors  of  the  Apostles  and  their  successors,  the 
knowledge  of  the  true  God  was  communicated  to  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Grecian  Islands,  Asia  Minor,  the 
Northern  coasts  of  Africa,  the  Southern  shores  of  Eu- 
rope, and  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  widely 
extended  Roman  Empire,  where  the  abominations  of 
Pagan  Idolatry  had,  for  a^es,  debased  and  demoralized 
2 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

the  minds  of  men.  The  darkness  of  heathenism  be- 
gan gradually  to  vanish  before  the  light  of  the  "  Sun  of 
Righteousness,"  and  a  new  and  happier  era  appeared 
to  dawn  upon  the  v/orld.  The  influence  of  Christian 
principle  was  felt  in  all  its  force  ;  love  knit  together, 
in  "  the  bond  of  perfection,"  the  various  members  of 
the  Church ;  a  spirit  of  holy  fortitude,  and  of  non- 
conformity to  the  world,  pervaded  the  minds  of  the 
disciples  of  Jesus,  and  the  "  lust  of  the  eye,  the  lust  of 
the  flesh,  and  the  pride  of  hfe,"  were  considered  as  un- 
worthy the  pursuit  of  those  who  accounted  themselves 
"  strangers  and  pilgrims  upon  earth,"  and  travellers  to 
a  blessed  immortality. 

Little  more  than  two  centuries,  however,  had  elapsed, 
before  a  worldly  spirit,  and  a  "  love  of  pre-eminence," 
began  to  appear,  and  to  diffuse  their  malign  influence 
throughout  every  department  of  the  visible  church, — 
which  prepared  the  way  for  the  unhappy  dissensions 
which  afterwards  arose,  and  for  the  long  reign  of  Anti- 
christ over  the  nations.     During  the  period  of  more 
than  a  thousand  years,  "  darkness"  again  "  covered  the 
earth,  and  gross  darkness  the  people."     Pagan  maxims 
and  ceremonies  began  to  be  blended  with  the  pure  pre- 
cepts and  sublime  doctrines  of  the  Gospel ;  vain  spec- 
ulations were  indulged  on  questions  which  the  limited 
faculties  of  man  are  unable  to  resolve  ;  a  multitude  of 
mimeaning  rites  were   substituted  in  the  room  of  love 
to  God  and  man ;  pride,  and  a  desire  of  domination, 
usurped  the  place    of   meekness  and  humihty ;    the 
power  of  the  clergy  was  augmented  ;  the  bishops  as- 
pired after  wealth,  magnificence,  and  splendor,  and 
their  avarice,  extortion,  and  licentiousness,  at  length 
became  notorious  even  to  a  proverb.     Errors  in  reli- 
gion, whether  real  or  supposed,  were  punished  by  civil 
penalties  and  bodily  tortures  ;  and  the  select  few  who 
adhered  to  the  cause  and  "  testimony  of  Jesus,"  and 
lifted  up  their  voice  against  such  abominations,  were 
reproached  and  persecuted,  and  obliged  to  seek  for 
shelter  in  deserts  and  mountains,  and  in  dens  and  caves 
of  the  earth.     Hence  it  happened,  that  the  spirit  of 
genuine  religion  was  almost  evaporated  ;  carnal  max- 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

ims  and  policy  were  introduced ;  the  love  of  riches 
and  aggrandizement  began  to  gain  the  ascendancy ; 
and  thus  a  barrier  was  interposed  to  the  propagation 
of  the  pure  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  the  renova- 
tion of  the  world.  Even  since  the  time  of  the  Refor- 
mation from  Poper}%  it  is  amazing  how  little  practical 
influence  Christianity  has  obtained  over  the  nations 
who  profess  to  have  submitted  to  its  authority.  While 
its  leading  principles  and  precepts  are  not  called  in 
question,  as  matters  oi  mere  opinion,  the  great  majority 
of  professing  Christians  seem  to  act  as  if  they  were  to 
be  left  entirely  out  of  view  in  their  ordinary  deport- 
ment, or  as  if  there  were  no  specific  difference  between 
Christian  principles  and  the  corrupt  maxims  of  the 
world. 

It  is  a  fact  which  cannot  be  denied,  that,  considering 
the  long  period  which  has  intervened  since  its  first  pro- 
mulgation, Christianity  has  never  yet  produced  all  the 
practical  and  beneficent  eflfects  which  might  have  been 
expected  from  a  religion  introduced  by  the  authority 
of  heaven,  and  confirmed  by  a  series  of  the  most  au- 
gust and  striking  miracles, — nor  has  its  empire  been 
extended  throughout  the  nations  in  any  degree  propor- 
tionable to  the  zeal  of  its  first  propagators,  and  to  the 
rapidity  and  the  extent  of  its  progress  after  it  was  first 
announced  to  the  world.  This  is  a  fact  which  has 
filled  its  sincere  friends  with  deep  regret,  and  which 
has  been  held  up  by  its  adversaries  as  a  presumptive 
proof  that  its  claims  to  a  Divine  origin  are  unfounded. 
Although  there  are,  doubtless,  to  be  found,  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Divine  governtnent,  reasons  inscrutable  by 
us,  why  Christianity  has  been  so  slow  in  its  progress 
and  so  limited  in  its  effects ;  yet,  I  presume,  that  one 
grand  reason  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact,  that  the  great 
majority  of  its  professors  have  paid  more  attention  to 
its  theory  than  to  its  practical  requisitions — that  its 
original  record  has  been  too  much  neglected,  and  hu- 
man systems  substituted  in  its  place,  and  that  conten- 
tions about  matters  of  ''  doubtful  disputation"  have  oc- 
cupied the  room  of  fervent  piety  and  practical  godli- 
ness.    No  nation  under  heaven  has  yet  recognized  its 


16  INTRODDCTION. 

principles  and  maxims,  in  all  their  extent,  in  its  civil 
and  criminal  code,  in  its  legislative  enactments,  in  its 
colonial  transactions,  and  in  its  intercourse  with  other 
nations.  No  Christian  church  has  yet  been  formed  on 
the  principle  of  a  full  and  unreserved  recognition  of  its 
precepts  and  laws,  in  all  their  bearings  and  practical 
applications  ;  and  even  the  most  exemplary  Christians, 
in  their  general  deportment,  and  particularly  in  the  ap- 
plication of  their  weahh,  fall  far  short  of  what  the  re- 
ligion of  the  Bible  inculcates. 

It  is  now  high  time  that  Christianity  were  recognized 
in  all  its  holy  principles  and  preceptive  requirements, 
and  that  its  votaries  show  to  the  world  that  they  have 
imbibed  its  heavenly  spirit,  and  are  determined  to  rise 
superior  to  the  grovelling  aftections  and  the  carnal 
policy  of  worldly  men,  and  to  follow  the  footsteps  of 
their  divine  leader,  and  of  his  holy  prophets  and  apos- 
tles. If  we  expect  to  behold  the  moral  world  regen- 
erated, and  Zion  appear  '•  beautiful  and  glorious  in  the 
eyes  of  the  nations,"  we  must  exhibit  our  religion,  not 
merely  in  theory,  but  in  its  renovating  and  beneficent 
effects.  If  we  ask  surrounding  nations  to  embrace  its 
doctrines,  and  introduce  among  their  people  its  divine 
institutions ;  if  we  entreat  the  tribes  of  the  heathen 
world  to  listen  to  its  stupendous  facts  and  to  receive  its 
ordinances  and  laws  ;  or  if  we  urge  the  infidel  to  ex- 
amine with  attention  the  evidences  of  its  divine  origin- 
al, they  have  a  right  to  demand  from  us  proofs  and 
examples  of  its  benignant  tendency  and  of  its  harmoni- 
ous and  beneficent  eflfects.  If  we  could  show,  that, 
wherever  it  is  professed,  it  uniformly  produces  love, 
brotherly  aftection,  forgiveness  of  injuries,  peace  and 
harmony,  philanthropy,  temperance,  charity,  and  a 
spirit  of  noble  generosity ;  if  we  could  say  with  Lac- 
tantius,  one  of  the  early  Apologists,  "  give  me  a  man 
that  is  wrathful,  malicious,  revengeful,  and,  with  a  few^ 
words  of  God,  I  will  make  him  calm  as  a  lamb,  give 
me  one  that  is  a  covetous,  niggardly  miser,  and  I  will 
give  you  him  again  liberal,  bountiful,  and  dealing  out 
of  his  money  by  handfuls  ;  give  me  one  that  is  fearful 
of  pain  and  death,  and  immediately  he  sliall  despise 


INTRODUCTION.  17 

racks  and  crosses,  and  the  most  dreadful  punishments 
you  can  invent" — could  we,  with  truth  and  sincerity, 
propose  to  the  world  such  arguments  and  examples  in 
behalf  of  our  holy  religion, — could  we  show  that  in 
every  case  where  a  Christian  or  a  Christian  society  is 
to  be  found,  such  virtues  are  uniformly  displayed  ;  the 
progress  of  Christianity  over  the  globe  would  soon  be 
accelerated,  and  "  righteousness  and  praise  would,"  ere 
long,  "spring  forth  before  all  the  nations."  And,  I 
verily  believe,  that,  till  we  can  exhibit  our  freligion  in 
all  its  amiable  and  beneficent  effects,  its  progress  will 
be  comparatively  feeble,  and  its  enemies  numerous 
and  powerful.  We  have  been  long  engaged  in  con- 
troversies about  theological  opinions;  and,  in  such  con- 
tentions, have  too  frequently  overlooked  the  grand 
practical  objects  which  it  is  the  design  of  Christianity 
to  accomplish.  The  government  of  the  temper,  the 
regulation  of  the  affections,  and  the  mortification  of  the 
principle  of  sin  and  corruption,  have  been,  in  a  great 
measure,  lost  sight  of,  amidst  the  fiery  zeal  which  has 
sometimes  been  displayed  in  the  propagation  of  dog- 
mas and  opinions,  which  do  not  enter  into  the  essence 
of  our  holy  religion.  While  w^e  have  endeavored  to 
display  our  bravery  as  champions  in  the  cause  of  or- 
thodoxy, we  have  too  frequently  given  vent  to  unhal- 
lowed, passions,  and  aspired  after  worldly  emolument 
and  applause,  instead  of  "  the  honor  which  cometh  from 
God  alone." 

Of  all  the  practical  requisitions  of  Christianity,  there 
is  none  which  seems  to  be  so  much  overlooked  as  the 
duty  of  contributing,  with  liberality,  for  the  extension 
of  the  Gospel,  the  diffusion  of  knowledge,  and  the  gen- 
eral improvement  of  mankind.  This  has  been  owing 
to  the  prevalence  of  that  most  vile  and  unchristian  pro- 
pensity, designated  in  Scripture  by  "  Covetousness, 
which  is  Idolatry" — a  propensity  which  has  affected 
all  ranks  of  men,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  and 
w^hich  is  characteristic  of  multitudes  who  make  a  glar- 
ing profession  of  evangelical  religion.  Were  this  sin- 
gle affection  either  undermined  or  extirpated,  a  deluge 
of  miseries  would  soon  be  swept  away  from  our  suf- 
2* 


18  INTRODUCTION. 

fering  world — philanthropy  would  distribute  its  thou- 
sand blessings  among  all  ranks ;  universal  education 
would  be  established  in  every  land ;  Zion  would  be 
built  up  even  in  troublous  times ;  '•  God  would  appear 
in  his  glory"  to  men ;  the  benighted  heathen  would, 
ere  long,  be  enlightened  with  the  "  day  spring  from  on 
high,"  and  the  way  prepared  for  the  ushering  in  of 
that  glorious  period  when  "  the  knowledge  of  Jehovah 
shall  cover  the  earth,  and  the  kingdoms  of  this  world 
become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord,  and  of  his  Mes- 
siah." 

In  the  illustration  of  this  subject  the  following  plan 
may  be  adopted, 

I.  I  shall  describe  the  disposition  or  propensity  de- 
signated by  "  Covetoiisness"  as  it  has  operated,  and 
still  operates  in  Christian,  and  civil  society. 

II.  Demonstrate  its  absurdity  and  irrationality. 

III.  Show  its  inconsistency  with  Christian  princi- 
ple, and  the  general  tenor  of  the  Word  of  God. 

IV.  Illustrate  some  of  the  Evils  which  flow  from 
the  indulgence  of  Covetousness. 

V.  Investigate  the  Principles  by  which  Christians 
should  be  directed  in  the  application  of  their  wealth. 

VI.  Illustrate  some  of  the  Benefits  which  would  re- 
sult to  Christians  and  general  society,  were  Covetous- 
ness undermined,  and  an  opposite  principle  universally 
cultivated. 

VII.  State  some  of  the  means  to  be  used,  in  order 
to  counteract  the  influence  of  Covetousness,  and  to  pro- 
mote a  spirit  of  Scriptural  liberality  among  Christians. 

VIII.  Ofler  a  few  solemn  considerations  to  differ- 
ent classes  of  individuals  in  relation  to  this  subject. 


CHAPTER    I. 

On  the  disposition,  or  propensity  designated  by 
covetousness,  and  the  various  modes  in  which 

it  HAS    OPERATED  IN  THE  WORLD,  AND  IN    CHRISTIAN 
SOCIETY. 

CovETousNEss  coiisists  ill  an  inordinate  desire  of  any, 
worldly  enjoyment,  particularly  riches,  for  the  purpose 
of  gratifying  ambition,  avarice,  or  sensual  desires.  It  is 
the  opposite  of  generosity,  or  that  liberality  and  con- 
tentment which  the  word  of  God  inculcates. 

The  Creator  has  furnished  the  material  world  with 
an  immense  variety  of  objects,  and  has  endowed  us 
with  sensitive  organs,  through  the  medium  of  which 
these  objects  may  be  perceived  and  enjoyed.  He  has 
also  implanted  in  us  desires  and  affections  which,  in  su- 
bordination to  higher  aims,  were  intended  to  be  directed 
to  the  objects  of  the  visible  w^orld,  and  the  enjoyment 
of  the  good  things  of  this  life.  We  may  lawfully  de- 
sire w^ater  to  quench  our  thirst,  food  to  nourish  our  bo- 
dies, clothes  to  cover  us,  and  comfortable  shelter  and 
accommodation — if  such  desires  be  regulated  by  scrip- 
ture and  reason,  and  confined  within  their  proper 
bounds.  We  may  even  desire  the  possessions  of  others 
when  they  are  willing  to  relinquish  them,  and  when  we 
are  able  and  willing  to  offer  them  a  fair  and  equitable 
compensation.  We  may  lawfully  labor  by  the  exertion 
either  of  our  bodily  or  mental  powers,  to  acquire  a  more 
comfortable  house  or  garden  than  what  we  now  pos- 
sess, and  to  enjoy  a  little  more  of  the  external  bounties 
of  Providence,  when  proper  motives  regulate  our  exer- 
tions and  our  aims.  For,  the  Creator  has  exhibited,  in 
his  creation  around  us,  an  immense  variety  of  beauties 


20  DISPOSITION    OR    PROPENSITY 

and  sublimities,  to  gratify  the  eye  and  the  imagination, 
and  has  furnished  the  world  in  which  we  live  with  a 
multiplicity  of  delicious  fruits,  flowers,  herbs  and  roots, 
to  gratify  every  taste,  as  well  as  to  afford  nourishment  to 
our  animal  system.  It  is,  therefore,  evident  that  he  in- 
tends his  creatures  should  participate  the  sweets  of  sen- 
sitive enjoyment.  "  For  every  creation  of  God  is  good, 
and  nothing  to  be  refused,  if  it  be  received  with  thanks- 
giving." "I  know,"  says  Solomon,  "that  it  is  good 
for  a  man  to  rejoice  and  to  do  good  in  his  life,  and  also 
that  eveiy  man  should  eat  and  drink,  and  enjoy  the 
good  of  all  his  labor,  for  it  is  the  gift  of  God."  Every 
thing  in  the  system  of  nature  is  so  arranged  as  to  pro- 
duce pleasure  and  sensitive  enjoyment,  when  used  with 
moderation,  and  according  to  the  design  intended  by 
the  Creator.  To  condemn  the  moderate  use  of  sensi- 
tive enjoyments,  or  to  inculcate  the  austerities  of  an 
ascetic  life  is,  therefore,  repugnant  to  the  dictates  both 
of  reason  and  revelation,  and  tends  to  frustrate  the 
beneficent  designs  of  Him  whose  goodness  and  "  ten- 
der mercies  are  over  all  his  works." 

It  is  not,  therefore,  in  the  simple  desire  of  world- 
ly good  that  covetousness  consists,  but  in  an  inor- 
dinate desire  of  sensitive  objects  and  enjoyments — a  de- 
sire which  is  inconsistent  with  the  rational  nature  of 
man,  and  with  our  duty  to  our  Creator  and  our  fellow- 
men.  Covetousness  assumes  a  variety  of  forms,  and 
manifests  itself  in  many  difterent  modes.  1.  It  appears 
in  its  most  degrading  form  in  hoarding  money,  and  ac- 
quiring houses  and  lands,  for  the  mere  purpose  of  ac- 
cumulation, when  there  is  no  intention  of  enjoying  such 
wealth,  or  bringing  it  forth  for  the  good  of  society. 
This  is  the  characteristic  of  the  man  who  is  denominated 
a  miser — a  word  which  originally  signifies  wretched,  or 
miserable,  as  all  such  persons  necessarily  are.  2.  It  ap- 
pears under  the  pretence  of  making  provision  for  chil- 
dien — a  pretence  which  is  generally  nothing  more  than 
a  cloak  to  cover  the  principle  of  avarice  which  is  fixed  in 
the  mind.  3.  It  operates  most  frequently  for  the  purpose 
of  gratifying  sensual  propensities — displaying  elegance 
in  dress  and  furniture,  and  giving  scope  to  a  spirit  of 


DESIGNATED    BY    COVETOUSNESS.  21 

pride  and  ambition.  In  these,  and  many  other  ways, 
this  vile  affection  manifests  itself,  robbing  man  of  the 
true  glory  of  his  nature,  degrading  him  in  some  respects 
below  the  level  of  the  brutes,  undermining  every  prin- 
ciple of  religion,  counteractmg  human  happiness,  pre- 
venting the  renovation  of  the  world,  and  reducing  the 
soul  to  the  level  of  a  grovelling  idolator  who  "  wor- 
ships and  serves  the  creature  more  than  the  Creator, 
who  is  blessed  forever." 

This  inordinate  desire  of  wealth  has  been  productive 
of  more  mischief  and  misery  in  the  world  than  almost 
any  other  unhallowed  affection  of  the  human  heart. 
It  has  been  the  malignant  source  of  almost  all  the  evils 
which  have  been  introduced  into  the  social  state,  and 
of  all  the  sorrows  and  sufferings  to  which  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  earth  in  every  age  have  been  subjected. 
In  order  that  we  may  clearly  perceive  the  malignity 
of  this  affection,  it  may  not  be  improper  to  take  a  cur- 
sory view  of  the  effects  it  has  produced,  and  of  the 
manner  in  which  it  has  operated,  both  in  the  world  at 
large  and  in  Christian  society. 


SECTION    I. 

On  the  operations  and  effects  of  Covetousness  as  dis- 
played in  the  world  at  large. 

This  vile  affection  may  be  considered  as  the  first 
display  which  was  mac.e  in  our  world  of  sin  or  re- 
bellion against  God.  Our  first  parents  commenced 
their  apostacy  from  their  maker  by  coveting  the  fruit 
of  "  the  tree  of  knowledge"  which  he  had  expressly  in- 
terdicted under  the  highest  penalty.  Though  they 
were  surrounded  by  the  munificence  of  the  deity, 
though  they  w  ere  permitted  to  eat  of  every  other  tree 
in  the  garden  of  Eden,  and  possessed  every  thing  that 
w^as  pleasant  to  the  eye  and  delicious  to  the  taste — yet 
they  dared  to  put  forth  their  hands  to  the  forbidden 
fruit,  from  the  covetous  propensity  of  enjoying  what 
was  not  their  own,  and  the  ambitious  desire  of  being 


22  OPERATIONS    AND    EFFECTS 

"  like  the  god's  and  knowing  good  and  evil."  This 
covetous  and  ambitious  act  "brought  death  into  the 
world  and  all  our  woe,"  and  was  the  prelude  and  fore- 
runner of  all  those  devastations  and  miseries  which 
avarice  and  ambition  have  entailed  on  the  inhabitants 
of  the  world.  We  have  reason  to  believe,  that  this 
v/oful  propensity  in  conjunction  with  ambition  with 
which  it  is  inseparably  connected,  in  one  shape  or 
another,  was  the  principal  cause  of  the  wickedness 
which  abounded  in  the  world  before  the  flood,  and  of 
the  overwhelming  deluge  which  swept  away  its  inhabi- 
tants. For  we  are  told,  that  "the  earth  was  filled 
with  violence" — plainly  intimating,  that  wars  and  de- 
vastations were  every  where  carried  on — that  a  sys- 
tem of  rapinie  and  plunder  universally  prevailed — that 
the  strong  and  powerful,  forcibly  seized  the  possessions 
of  the  weak— that  the  poor  and  needy  were  robbed 
and  oppressed — that  cities  were  demolished,  fields  and 
vineyards  laid  waste,  and  the  ploughshare  of  destruc- 
tion droven  through  every  land. 

The  whole  liistory  of  the  world,  since  that  period, 
may  be  considered  as  little  else  than  a  revolting  detail 
of  the  operations  of  covetousness  and  ambition,  and  of 
the  direful  effects  they  have  produced  on  the  destinies 
of  mankind.  The  oppressions  wliich  Babylon  and  As- 
syria exercised  over  the  Jews  and  neighboring  nations, 
the  plundering  of  the  sacred  vessels  which  belonged  to 
the  temple  of  Jehovah  ;  the  mad  expedition  of  Xerxes 
against  the  Grecians,  with  his  numerous  fleets  and  ar- 
mies, and  the  slaughters  and  devastations  they  pro- 
duced ;  the  boundless  ambition  of  Alexander,  his  cruel- 
ties and  injustice,  his  burning  of  cities,  plundering  of 
palaces  and  temples,  and  the  destruction  of  thousands 
and  millions  by  his  conquering  armies,  while  engaged 
in  the  mad  pursuit  of  universal  empire  ;  the  atrocities 
and  murders  committed  by  his  successors,  and  the 
commotions  and  revolutions  which  followed  in  their 
train  ;  the  plunder,  butchery,  and  devastation  of  the 
Roman  legions,  and  the  terror  they  inspired  throughout 
surrounding  nations  ;  the  dreadful  contests  between 
Rome  and  Carthage,  known  by  the  name  of  the  Punic 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  23 

warSy  which  lasted  for  more  than  forty-five  years,  and 
in  which  millions  of  human  beings  were  sacrificed  to 
the  demon  of  war ;  the  slaughter  and  ravages  pro- 
duced by  the  jealousy  and  ambition  of  Caesar  and  Pom- 
pey ;  the  terrible  desolations  and  carnage  produced 
throughout  Asia  and  Africa  by  jNIahomet  and  his  fero- 
cious disciples,  while  they  were  laying  waste  cities 
without  number,  and  cutting  in  pieces  all  the  enemies 
oflslamism;  the  commotions,  assassinations,  murders, 
and  contests  which  happened  during  the  reign  of  the 
Roman  Emperors  ;  the  pillage  of  Rome  by  the  barba- 
rous Alaric,  when  the  streets  and  houses  were  deluged 
with  blood,  the  buildings  enveloped  in  flames,  the 
monuments  of  ancient  grandeur  overturned  and  the 
soldiery  raged  and  ravaged  with  all  the  ferocity  of  in- 
fernal demons  ;  the  irruption  of  the  Goths  and  Vandals, 
who  rushed  like  a  torrent  into  the  Roman  Empire, 
who  respected  neither  rank,  age  nor  sex,  who  covered 
the  earth  with  carnage,  and  whose  route  was  uniform- 
ly marked  with  desolation  and  with  blood ;  the  incur- 
sions of  the  Scythians  who  rushed  with  irresistible  im- 
pulse on  western  Europe,  exterminating  the  inhabitants 
wherever  they  came,  and  threatening  almost  total 
destruction  to  the  human  race  ;  the  ravages  of  Jenghis 
Khan,  the  most  bloody  conqueror  that  ever  existed, 
who,  in  twenty-two  years,  destroyed  fifteen  millions  of 
human  beings,  and  transformed  their  countries  into 
hideous  deserts  ;  the  mad  expeditions  of  the  Crusaders, 
who  went  forth  by  millions  along  the  eastern  parts  of 
Europe,  breathing  out  threatenings  and  slaughter 
against  tho  inhabitants  of  Asia ;  the  ferocious  and  fiend- 
like wars  of  the  Turks  against  Christian  nations — these, 
and  thousands  of  similar  scenes  of  atrocity  and  plunder 
which  have  entailed  misery  and  destruction  on  hundreds 
of  millions  of  the  human  race,  are  to  be  attributed  to 
the  insatiable  lust  of  covetousness,  when  pandering  to 
the  purposes  of  ambition  and  worldly  aggrandizement. 
In  the  wars  of  modern  times,  and  in  the  numerous 
expeditions  which  have  been  undertaken  for  the  dis- 
covery and  colonization  of  new  countries,  the  same 
avaricious  principles  have  been  almost  uniformly  dis- 


24  OPERATIONS    AND    EFFECTS 

played.  No  sooner  had  Columbus  discovered  a  por- 
tion of  the  Western  World  than  the  cursed  love  of  gold 
began  to  absorb  the  whole  attention  of  his  followers. 
No  desire  to  confer  benefits  on  the  natives,  who  almost 
adored  them^  seems  ever  to  have  entered  their  breasts  ; 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  they  displayed  every  species  of 
perfidy,  inhumanity  and  injustice ;  and  inflicted  every 
Idnd  of  cruelty  on  the  Indians  if  they  could  but  extort 
from  them  the  golden  treasures  they  possessed.  As  if 
the  acquisition  of  gold  had  been  the  great  end  of  hu- 
man existence,  their  whole  faculties  and  exertions  were 
directed  to  this  object.  They  went  from  one  part  of 
the  island  on  which  they  had  landed  to  another ;  they 
sailed  eastward  and  westward,  and  from  one  island  to 
another ;  and  wherever  they  went,  their  sole  inquiry 
was  for  the  mountains  and  vales  where  gold  was  to  be 
obtained.  The  island  Hispaniola  was  the  earliest  set- 
tlement of  the  Spaniards  in  the  New  World,  on  account 
of  the  quantity  of  gold  it  supplied.  They  forced  its  in- 
habitants, as  so  many  slaves,  to  dig  this  object  of  their 
avarice  out  of  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  and  when  the 
soui'ce  of  it  was  dried  up,  they  exterminated  the  natives 
by  a  series  of  barbarities  more  shocking  than  ever  be- 
fore disgraced  the  history  of  man.  Of  two  millions  of 
inhabitants  which  the  island  contained  when  discovered 
by  Columbus  in  1492,  scarcely  150  were  alive  in  1545, 
only  about  fifty  years  afterwards.  The  conquest  of 
Mexico  by  Cortez  and  his  followers,  impelled  by  an  in- 
satiable lust  for  gold,  was  accompanied  with  horrors, 
atrocities  and  slaughters  more  dreadful  and  revolting 
than  almost  any  other  scenes  recorded  in  the  annals  of 
our  race.  To  prepare  the  way  for  enjoying  the  plun- 
der they  had  in  view,  the  unoffending  Indians  were 
butchered  by  thousands,  and  their  towns  laid  in  ruins. 
Throughout  the  whole  of  their  progress,  their  route  was 
marked  with  perfidy,  injustice,  carnage  and  deeds  of 
atrocious  cruelty.  On  one  occasion,  sixty  Caciques  or 
leaders  of  the  Mexican  empire,  and  400  nobles  were 
burned  alive  with  the  utmost  coolness  and  deliberation, 
and  to  complete  the  horrors  of  the  scene,  the  children 
and  relations  of  the  wretched  victims  were  assembled 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  25 

and  compelled  to  be  spectators  of  their  dying  agonies. 
On  another  occasion,  when  the  inhabitants  of  the  city 
of  Mexico  were  celebrating  a  festival,  and  all  the  peo- 
ple, particularly  the  nobles,  were  dressed  in  their  rich- 
est decorations,  under  the  pretence  of  an  intended 
conspiracy — the  Spaniards,  in  order  to  glut  their  ava- 
rice', fell  upon  the  unthinking  Mexicans,  slaughtered 
2000  of  the  nobles,  and  stripped  their  dead  bodies  of 
all  their  valuable  ornaments.  Every  right  was  violated 
which  is  generally  held  sacred  even  by  hostile  nations. 
On  every  trivial  occasion  the  Indians  were  massacred 
in  great  numbers,  their  lands  apportioned  among  the 
Spaniards,  the  inhabitants  reduced  to  slaves,  and  forced 
to  work  without  payment  at  all  their  public  works, 
while  the  officers  distributed  into  different  provinces, 
faithfully  imitated  their  avaricious  commander  in  all 
his  excesses  and  barbarities.  In  the  siege  of  Mexico 
alone,  no  less  than  a  hundred  thousand  of  the  natives 
fell  by  the  sword,  besides  those  who  perished  by  fa- 
mine and  other  causes  connected  with  warfare.  And 
all  these  revolting  scenes  were  produced  in  violation  of 
every  moral  principle,  merely  to  gratify  the  unbounded 
desires  of  sordid  minds  for  the  unsatisfying  treasures 
of  gold  and  silver.  And  while  they  had  the  effrontery 
and  impiety  to  elevate  the  standard  of  the  Cross  and  to 
implore  the  God  of  armies  to  assist  them  in  their  con- 
quests, no  means  were  ever  used  to  meliorate  either 
the  physical  or  moral  condition  of  those  whom  they 
had  so  cruelly  plundered.  But  God,  whose  laws  they 
had  so  wantonly  violated,  caused  them  to  suffer  a  just 
retribution,  as  a  punishment  for  their  enormities  and 
their  avaricious  desires.  For  numbers  of  them  were 
butchered  by  the  enraged  Mexicans  in  their  retreat 
from  the  capital,  and  those  who  were  taken  alive  were 
carried  off  in  triumph  to  the  temples  and  sacrificed  with 
all  the  cruelties  which  revenge  could  invent,  to  the  God 
of  war, — while  their  companions  at  a  distance,  heard 
their  dismal  screams  and  piteous  lamentations.  Many 
of  them  so  overloaded  themselves  with  bars  of  gold  as 
retarded  their  flight,  so  that  they  fell  ignominiously,  the 
victims  of  their  abominable  avarice,  and  a  great  part 
3 


26  OPERATIONS    AND    EFFECTS 

of  the  gold  and  treasures  they  expected  from  their 
conquests,  was  commanded  by  their  enemies  to  be 
thrown  into  the  lake.  Such  are  the  effects  of  the 
operation  of  that  detestable  passion  which  has  so  long 
degraded  the  character  of  man,  and  which  tramples 
under  foot  every  principle  of  virtue,  and  every  dictate 
of  justice  and  humanity. 

The  same  atrocities  were  committed,  and  the  same 
execrable  propensities  displayed  in  the  expedition  of 
PizaiTO  and  his  followers  for  the  conquest  of  Peru.  In 
order  to  glut  their  avarice  by  plundering  the  golden 
treasures  of  this  country,  the  basest  treachery,  and  the 
most  cold-blooded  cruelties,  were  exercised.  Under 
profession  of  amity,  they  seized  upon  the  Inca  or  Em- 
peror of  the  country,  who  had  received  them  in  a  friend- 
ly manner,  and  had  commanded  his  attendants  to  offer 
the  strangers  no  injury  ;  and  butchered,  with  deliberate 
and  unrelenting  fury,  above  4,000  of  his  attendants, 
w^ho  never  offered  the  least  resistance  ;  after  which 
they  passed  the  night  in  the  most  extravagant  exulta- 
tion, at  the  greatness  of  the  plunder  they  had  acquired 
from  the  bodies  of  the  slain.  The  Inca,  in  order  to 
regain  his  liberty,  promised  them  as  many  vessels  of 
gold  as  would  fill  an  apartment  twenty-two  feet  long, 
sixteen  wide  and  eight  high  ;  and  after  having  des- 
patched messengers  throughout  his  kingdom  to  collect 
the  promised  treasures,  he  had  fulfilled  his  engage- 
ment— they  not  long  after,  under  the  most  ridiculous 
pretences,  condemned  him  to  be  burned  alive.  The 
booty  they  obtained  by  such  atrocious  deeds,  amounted 
to  more  than  two  millions  of  pounds  sterling.  The  day 
appointed  for  the  partition  of  this  enormous  sum  was 
the  festival  of  St.  James,  the  patron  saint  of  Spain  ; 
and,  although  assembled  to  divide  the  spoils  of  an  in- 
nocent people,  procured  by  deceit,  extortion,  and  cruel- 
ty, they  had  the  impiety  and  audacity  to  commence  the 
transaction  with  a  solemn  invocation  of  the  name  of 
God,  as  if  they  had  expected  the  benediction  of  Hea- 
ven in  distributing  those  wages  of  iniquity.  Such  was 
the  commencement  and  such  the  progress  of  the  ex- 
pedition by  which  the  empire  of  Peru  was  subjugated 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  27 

to  the  dominion  of  Spain.  A  curse  has  rested  upon  the 
weahh  which  was  thus  procured ;  and  the  nation  that 
sanctioned  such  injustice  and  atrocities,  has,  in  the  just 
providence  of  God,  suffered  the  punishment  due  to  its 
cruelties  and  avarice.  Instead  of  being  enriched  by- 
such  treasures,  it  has  been  impoverished.  That  very 
wealth  which  its  inhabitants  so  ardently  desired,  and 
for  the  acquisition  of  which  they  violated  every  princi- 
ple of  religion  and  morality,  laid  the  foundation  of 
Spanish  indolence,  checked  the  increase  of  population, 
prevented  the  exertions  of  industry  in  the  improvement 
of  agriculture,  manufactures  and  commerce,  which  are 
the  only  true  sources  of  wealth,  and  has  reduced  their 
country  from  one  of  the  most  powerful  and  wealthy  of 
European  kingdoms,  to  a  state  of  comparative  poverty. 
The  wars  which  have,  of  late  years,  been  carried  on  in 
that  country,  and  in  its  former  colonies,  and  the  com- 
motions and  massacres  which  are  at  this  moment  taking 
place,  may  be  considered  as  part  of  the  punishment  for 
national  offences,  inflicted  by  Him  who  "  visits  the  ini- 
quities of  the  fathers  upon  the  children  to  the  third  and 
fourth  generation" — thus,  by  a  kind  of  retributive  jus- 
tice, avenging  the  many  innocent  nations  which  were 
ravaged  by  their  forefathers  on  the  continent  of  Amer- 
ica. 

Another  mode  in  which  Covetousness  has  displayed 
its  malignity  is,  the  Traffic  in  slaves.  Among  the  cir- 
cumstances connected  with  this  trade,  are  found  what- 
ever is  dark  in  treachery,  odious  in  cruelty,  or  horrible 
in  war, — whatever  afflicts  the  body  or  degrades  and  tor- 
tures the  soul.  It  is  a  traffic  which  has  suffocated  thou- 
sands of  human  beings  in  the  cells  of  a  floating  dun- 
geon, plunged  ten  thousands  into  a  watery  grave,  and 
doomed  the  survivors  to  long  years  of  captivity  and 
sorrow,  under  the  lash  of  rejentless  task-masters — a 
traffic  which  has  produced  w^ars  and  massacres  of  ev- 
eiy  description,  torn  asunder  the  most  endearing  ties, 
trampled  under  foot  every  dictate  of  justice  and  human- 
ity, transformed  civilized  men  into  infernal  fiends,  and 
embodied  in  it  whatever  has  been  feared  or  imagined 
in  the  cup  of  human  woe.     Yet  this  infernal  traflic 


28  OPERATIONS    AND    EFFECTS 

has  been  encouraged  and  carried  on  by  men  who  make 
high  pretensions  of  their  improvement  in  science  and 
civilization ;  by  States  that,  with  the  most  glaring  in- 
consistency, boast  of  the  liberties  they  have  acquired 
above  all  other  nations  ;  by  Roman  Pontiffs  who  pre- 
tend to  be  Christ's  vicegerents  on  earth  ;  by  thousands 
who  profess  the  greatest  zeal  for  the  interests  of  Re- 
ligion, and  who  wouM  consider  themselves  as  scandal- 
ized and  insulted,  were  we  to  refuse  them  the  name  of 
Christians — and  all  for  the  purpose  of  glutting  their 
insatiable  lust  of  Avarice,  at  the  expense  of  the  blood 
and  sufferings  of  their  fellow  men.  Early  in  the  15th 
century,  the  Portuguese,  under  the  authority  of  the 
Pope,  explored  the  African  coast,  planted  colonies,  and 
reduced  the  Africans  to  slavery.  The  decrees  of  five 
successive  Roman  Pontiffs  "granted,  conveyed  and 
confirmed  to  the  most  faithful  king  [of  Portugal,]  a 
right  to  appropriate  the  kingdoms,  goods  and  possess- 
ions of  all  infidels,  wherever  to  be  found,  to  reduce 
these  persons  to  perpetual  slavery,  or  destroy  them  from 
the  earth'^  for  the  declared  purpose  " of  bringing  the 
Lord's  sheep  into  one  Dominican  fold  under  one  Uni- 
versal Pastor."  By  whom,  then,  was  this  atrocious 
commerce  opened,  and  by  whom  has  it  been  so  long 
and  ardently  pursued  ?  By  the  subjects  of  their  Most 
Faithful,  most  Catholic,  and  most  Christian  Majesties, 
Defenders  of  the  Faith ;  by  British  subjects,  who  have 
only  lately  been  forced  to  abandon  it,  and  by  the  citi- 
zens of  the  Most  Republican  States,  with  the  sanction 
of  his  holiness  the  Pope.  It  has  been  calculated  that, 
in  this  accursed  traffic,  eight  millions  of  slaves  have 
been  shipped  in  Africa  for  the  West  India  Islands  and 
the  United  States,  ten  millions  for  South  America,  and 
two  millions  have  been  taken  and  held  in  slavery  in 
Africa  ;  in  all,  about  twenty  millions  of  negroes  who 
have  been  consigned  either  to  bondage  or  to  death.* 
Reckoning  the  value  of  each  slave  at  £40  Sterling, 
this  horrid  trade  has  accumulated  for  its  unprincipled 


*  See  Gurley's  "Life  of  Ashmun,"  page  101.    Printed  at  Washing- 
ton in  1835. 


OP    COVETOUSNESS.  29 

abettors,  the  enormous  sum  of  £800,000,000,  a  sum 
which  would  be  nearly  sufficient  for  effecting  the  phys- 
ical and  moral  renovation  of  our  world ;  but  the  great- 
er part  of  which,  we  have  too  much  reason  to  believe, 
has  been  wasted  in  luxury  and  debauchery. 

I  have  stated  these  more  atrocious  acts  of  avarice, 
for  the  purpose  of  showing  to  what  a  pitch  of  wicked- 
ness and  barbarity  the  principle  of  covetousness  will 
lead  its  votaries  when  no  human  laws  or  prudential 
considerations  interfere  to  obstruct  its  progress.  Men 
are  apt  to  imagine,  that  the  occasional  indulgence  in 
covetousness,  in  respect  to  little  things,  can  produce  no 
great  harm,  when  actions  directly  criminal  are  not  re- 
sorted to  for  its  gratification, — that,  to  take  a  quarter  of 
an  ounce  from  a  pound  of  sugar,  an  inch  from  a  yard 
of  print,  a  "  remnant"  from  a  suit  of  clothes, — to  ask 
more  than  the  fair  value  for  an  article  of  merchandize, 
to  withhold  a  few  pence  or  shillings  from  a  philanthro- 
pic institution,  or  to  desire  the  wealth  of  others  which 
we  cannot  by  fair  means  obtain,  must  be  faults  of  triv- 
ial consideration,  and  can  produce  little  injury  to  gen- 
eral society.  But  such  persons  ought  to  consider,  that 
the  very  same  principle  which  operates  in  such  cases, 
if  left  to  its  own  native  energies,  and  to  operate  with- 
out control  from  the  force  of  human  laws,  would  lead 
to  all  the  atrocities  and  scenes  of  horror  to  which  we 
have  now  alluded,  and  would,  ere  long,  transform  the 
world  into  a  field  of  plunder,  an  immense  charnel 
house,  and  a  habitation  of  demons.  Were  its  influence 
universal,  it  would  destroy  the  happiness  of  rational 
beings,  subvert  the  moral  order  of  intelligent  agents, 
both  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  and  even  sap  the  founda- 
tions of  the  throne  of  the  Eternal,  flence,  it  is  descri- 
bed in  scripture  as  "  the  root  of  all  evil,"  and  de- 
signated by  the  term  idolatry  ;  a  crime  which,  above 
all  others,  has  a  tendency  to  degrade  the  character  of 
man,  and  to  subvert  the  relations  in  which  he  stands  to 
his  fellow  creatures,  and  to  his  Creator — which  includes 
in  it  a  comprehensive  summary  of  wickedness,  pride, 
falsehood,  malignity,  rebellion,  hatred  of  moral  excel- 


30  OPERATIONS    AND    EFFECTS 

lence,  and  the  basest  ingratitude  towards  him  ''in  whom 
we  live  and  move,  and  have  our  being." 

Besides  the  more  barbarous  acts  of  plunder  to  which 
I  have  adverted,  there  are  innumerable  other  acts  in 
the  conduct  of  nations  and  societies,  flowing  from  the 
same  piinciple,  which  are  every  day  committed  with- 
out a  blush  at  their  enormity  and  injustice.  Almost 
the  whole  of  our  colonization  system  has  been  com- 
menced and  carried  on  from  a  principle  of  avarice ; 
when  the  rights  of  independent  tribes  have  been  inva- 
ded, and  their  territories  wrested  from  them  without 
an  adequate  compensation.  Whether  we  go  to  Amer- 
ica or  Afiica,  the  West  Indies  or  Hindostan,  or  wherev- 
er colonies  have  been  established  by  European  nations, 
we  shall  find  numerous  exemplifications  of  the  truth  of 
this  position.  Instead  of  rendering  our  geographical 
discoveries  subservient  to  the  happiness  and  improve- 
ment of  rude  and  unenlightened  tribes  ;  w^e  have  sent 
out  expeditions  to  deprive  them  of  the  property  which 
God  and  nature  had  given  them,  to  massacre  and  to 
hunt  them  as  wild  beasts  from  the  face  of  the  earth, 
for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  plunder,  and  gratifying  our 
avaricious  desii'es.  And  when  we  have  thus  laid  the 
foundation  of  our  colonies  in  avarice  and  injustice,  we 
have  next  oppressed  their  inhabitants  by  arbitrary 
enactments  and  exorbitant  taxes,  which  have  frequent- 
ly led  to  protracted  and  expensive  wars,  in  wliich  our 
treasures,  acquired  by  injustice  and  oppression,  have 
been  w^asted,  our  previous  riches  and  prosperity  dimin- 
ished, and  our  finances  sometimes  brought  to  the  verge 
of  ruin.  It  is  thus  that  the  Governor  of  the  world  fre- 
quently punishes  the  crime  of  avarice,  by  forcing  it 
again  to  disgorge  those  riches  which  were  unjustly  ac- 
quired, and  to  make  nations  perceive,  if  they  have  any 
moral  perceptions,  their  sin  in  their  punishment.  Hence 
when  the  British  roused  the  indignation  of  their  Amer- 
ican Colonies,  by  their  despotic  enactments  and  op- 
pressive taxations,  a  desolating  and  unnatural  war  en- 
sued, which  cost  Britain  not  only  many  thousands  of 
valuable  lives,  (about  two  hundred  thousand  in  all,)  but 
no  less  than  £139,000,000  ;  a  sum  far  greater  than  had 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  31 

ever  been  acquired  from  the  possession  of  these  colo- 
nies, and  which  might  have  sufficed  to  transform  Brit- 
ain into  a  terrestrial  paradise,  and  to  establish  church- 
es and  seminaries  to  the  utmost  extent,  for  the  diffusion 
of  knovs^ledge  and  religion  among  all  classes  of  the  in- 
habitants. 

There  would  be  no  end  to  the  illustrations  of  the  op- 
eration of  covetousness,  as  displayed  on  the  general 
theatre  of  the  world,  were  we  to  enter  into  particulars. 
The  barbarous  practices  connected  with  piracy,  or  the 
plundering  of  vessels  at  sea,  and  the  deeds  of  violence 
and  atrocity  which  pirates  have  committed  ;  the  rob- 
beries and  depredations  which  have  been  perpetrated 
by  land,  and  the  horrid  murders  which  have  been  com- 
mitted by  law^less  banditti  in  pursuit  of  spoil ;  the  cruel- 
ties exercised  by  Turkish  Bashaws  and  Moorish  Em- 
perors, in  squeezing  from  their  subjects  exorbitant  tax- 
es ;  the  plundering  of  caravans  in  the  desert  by  wander- 
ing Arabs  ;  the  savage  practices  of  a  set  of  men  de- 
nominated lureckers ;  the  perfidy  and  perjuries  of  spies 
and  informers,  in  convicting  the  innocent  of  crimes  in 
the  hope  of  reward  ;  the  trepanning  of  soldiers  and  the 
impressment  of  seamen ;  the  secret  murders  committed 
on  friends  and  relatives  in  hopes  of  obtaining  an  inher- 
itance ;  the  treachery  of  executors  and  lawyers  in  be- 
traying their  trusts,  in  order  to  fill  their  coffers ;  the 
frauds  of  public  officers  in  conducting  the  affairs  of  gov- 
ernments, the  embezzling  of  pubhc  money  by  close 
corporations  for  the  purpose  of  selfishness  and  sensual- 
ity ;  the  oppressions  which,  in  almost  every  nation,  have 
been  exercised  by  unprincipled  and  avaricious  men,  on 
the  poor  and  destitute,  the  widow  and  the  orphan  ; 
these,  and  hundreds  of  similar  modes  in  which  avarice 
is  displayed,  would  require  volumes  to  describe  and 
record  the  revolting  details. 


32  ON    THE    EFFECTS 


SECTION    11. 

On  the  effects  of  covetousness,  and  the  manner  in  which 
it  has  displayed  itself  among  those  who  acknowledge 
the  authority  of  Christianity,  and  profess  to  submit 
to  its  dictates. 

When  the  leading  facts  and  doctrines  of  Christiani- 
ty were  first  publicly  proclaimed  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost, those  who  w^ere  converted  to  the  faith  imbibed  its 
heavenly  spirit,  and  acted  according  to  its  holy  requi- 
sitions. This  was  particularly  manifested  in  their  no- 
ble indifference  to  earthly  possessions,  and  their  anx- 
ious desire  to  consecrate  the  wealth  which  God  had 
given  them  to  purposes  of  Christian  beneficence.  So 
great  was  their  admiration  of  the  love  of  God,  and  the 
riches  of  his  grace,  and  so  elevated  their  hopes  of  hea- 
venly fehcity,  that  they  looked  down  with  a  becoming 
contempt  on  w^orldly  treasures,  except  in  so  far  as  they 
were  subservient  to  the  purposes  of  benevolence,  and 
to  the  promoting  of  the  interests  of  the  Redeemer's 
kingdom.  For,  we  are  told,  that  "  all  that  believed,'' 
being  inspired  with  mutual  love  and  affection  for  each 
other, — "had  all  things  common."  Nay,  to  such  an 
extent  did  this  generous  principle  prevail  that  they  who 
had  estates  or  other  valuable  effects,  "  sold  their  pos- 
sessions and  goods,  and  parted  them  to  all  men  as  eve- 
ry one  had  need."  This  Christian  liberality  and  he- 
roic indifference  to  the  world,  continued  to  distinguish 
the  followers  of  Jesus,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  du- 
ring the  two  first  centuries  of  the  Christian  era.  For 
the  sake  of  Him  who  had  "  redeemed  them  with  his 
blood,"  and  brought  them  "  from  darkness  to  marvel- 
lous light,"  they  cheerfully  parted  with  houses  and  lands, 
and  brethren  and  sisters,  and  subjected  themselves  to 
the  severest  persecutions,  that  they  might  obtain  "  a 
better  resurrection,"  and  an  "  incorruptible  inherit- 
ance." They  were  admonished  beforehand  that  they 
were  to  be  "  betrayed  by  friends  and  brethren  and 
kinsfolk,  accused  before  rulers  and  kings,  and  hated  of 
all  men  for  his  name's  sake,"     And  these  premonitions 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  33 

were  fully  realized  in  the  experience  of  all  who  pro- 
fessed an  adherence  to  "the  testimony  of  Jesus."  At 
the  instigation  of  the  heathen  priests  and  emperors 
every  species  of  contumely  and  cruelty  was  inflicted 
which  the  wicked  ingenuity  of  our  fallen  nature  could 
invent.  Some  were  slain  by  the  sword,  some  were 
whipped  and  scourged,  after  the  cruel  manner  of  the 
Romans,  and  others  were  roasted  in  the  flames.  Some 
were  stabbed  with  forks  of  iron,  some  nailed  to  a  cross, 
some  torn  by  wild  beasts,  and  others  drowned  in  the 
sea,  or  stoned  to  death  :  some  starved  with  hunorer  or 
killed  with  cold ;  some  had  their  hands  and  tongues 
dissevered  from  their  bodies,  and  others  were  wrapt  in 
combustible  garments,  and  fire  set  to  them  when  eve- 
ning came  on,  that  they  might  serve  like  torches  to  dis- 
pel the  darkness  of  the  night.  Hierome,  in  his  epistle 
to  Cromatius,  observes, — "  There  is  no  day  in  the  whole 
year  to  which  the  number  of  five  thousand  martyrs  can- 
not be  ascribed,  except  only  the  first  day  of  January." 
So  that  every  year  no  less  than  one  million,  eight  hun- 
dred and  twenty  thousand  Christians  must  have  perish- 
ed from  the  earth  by  the  infliction  of  such  demoniacal 
punishments, — and  all  to  glut  the  avarice  and  revenge 
of  Pagan  priests  and  rulers.  Yet  the  number  of  those 
men  "  of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy,'^  still  con- 
tinued to  increase  throughout  every  province  of  the 
Roman  empire.  They  magnanimously  looked  down 
on  all  the  wealth  and  splendor  of  this  passing  scene  as 
unworthy  to  be  compared  with  the  glory  which  was 
about  to  be  revealed.  "  They  counted  all  things  as  dung 
in  comparison  of  the  excellent  knowledge  of  Christ,  for 
whom  they  had  suffered  the  loss  of  all  things  ;  they 
knew  in  whom  they  had  believed,"  and  "  chose  rather 
to  suffer  affliction  with  the  people  of  God  than  to  enjoy 
the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a  season,  esteeming  the  re- 
proach of  Christ  greater  riches  than  the  treasures  of 
earth,  and  having  respect  to  the  recompense  of  re- 
ward." How  many  members  of  the  Christian  church 
should  we  have  in  modern  times  were  they  all  exposed 
to  such  persecutions  and  tribulations  !  Were  all  pro- 
fessing Christians  animated  with  such  heavenly  prin- 


34  ON    THE    EFFECTS 

ciples  and  affections  as  distinguished  the  primitive  saints 
and  martyrs,  there  would  be  little  need  to  write  an  Es- 
say on  the  evils  of  Covetousness,  or  to  enforce  the  duty 
of  a  noble  and  disinterested  liberality  on  the  members 
of  the  visible  church.  But,  alas  !  the  gold  has  become 
dim,  and  the  most  fine  gold  has  changed  !  The  great 
majority  of  those  called  Christians,  in  our  times,  can 
scarcely  be  distinguished,  in  their  dispositions  and  con- 
duct, from  civilized  Pagans,  and  the  professed  men  of 
the  world,  "  whose  god  is  their  belly,"  who  glory  in 
their  wealth,  and  "  who  mind  earthly  things." 

When  the  Christian  church  began  to  enjoy  the  favor 
of  worldly  men,  it  was  not  long  before  many  of  its 
members  began  to  imbibe  a  worldly  spirit.  As  the 
wealth  and  honors  conferred  on  the  church  increased, 
the  heavenly  zeal  of  its  votaries  diminished,  and  a  spirit 
of  Covetousness,  and  a  desire  for  worldly  honors  and 
distinctions,  began  to  prevail  throughout  all  the  official 
departments  connected  with  Christian  worship  and  in- 
struction. Even  so  early  as  the  third  century,  this 
melancholy  change  began  to  appear,  particularly  in  the 
contests  of  the  Bishops  for  power  and  pre-eminence, 
and  for  worldly  splendor  and  magnificence.  Though 
a  considerable  number  of  them  continued  to  exhibit  to 
the  world  illustrious  examples  of  primitive  piety  and 
virtue,  yet  "  many  of  them  were  sunk  in  luxury  and 
voluptuousness,  puffed  up  with  vanity,  arrogance  and 
ambition,  possessed  with  a  spirit  of  contention  and  dis- 
cord, and  addicted  to  many  other  vices,  that  cast  an 
undeserved  reproach  upon  the  holy  religion  of  which 
they  were  the  unworthy  ministers."*  The  Bishops  as- 
sumed in  many  places,  a  princely  authority,  particular- 
ly those  who  had  the  greatest  number  of  churches  un- 
der their  inspection,  and  who  presided  over  the  most 
opulent  assemblies.  "  They  appropriated  to  their  evan- 
gelical function,  the  splendid  ensigns  of  temporal  ma- 
jesty. A  throne,  surrounded  with  ministers,  exalted 
above  his  equals  the  servant  of  the  meek  and  humble 
Jesus,  and  sumptuous  garments  dazzled  the  eyes  and 

*  Mosheim's  Eccles.  Hist.  Century  third. 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  35 

* 

the  minds  of  the  multitude  into  an  ignorant  veneration 
for  their  arrogated  authority.  The  example  of  the 
bishops  was  ambitiously  imitated  by  the  presbyters, 
who  neglecting  the  sacred  duties  of  their  station,  aban- 
doned themselves  to  the  indolence  and  delicacy  of  an 
effeminate  and  luxurious  life.  The  deacons,  beholding 
the  presbyters  thus  deserting  their  functions,  boldly 
usurped  their  rights  and  privileges,  and  began  to  des- 
pise those  lower  functions  and  employments  which  they 
had  hitherto  exercised  with  so  much  humility  and  zeal, 
and  the  effects  of  a  corrupt  ambition  were  spread 
through  every  rank  of  the  sacred  order."* 

Wherever  luxur}',  ambition,  and  a  desire  for  worldly 
splendor,  gain  ascendancy  over  the  mind.  Avarice  fol- 
lows in  the  train  as  an  inseparable  concomitant.  In 
the  progress  of  the  corruptions  which  were  afterwards 
introduced  into  the  church,  this  degrading  passion  w^as 
displayed,  with  shameless  effrontery,  in  all  its  impious 
and  demoralizing  effects.  The  rapaciousness  of  the 
bishops  and  popes,  and  of  almost  every  order  of  ec- 
clesiastics, became  excessive  and  even  proverbial ;  and 
they  did  not  hesitate  to  employ  the  most  insidious  and 
sacrilegious  means  to  gratify  their  covetous  propensi- 
ties. The  possessions  of  the  church  were  sold  to  the 
highest  bidders,  or  turned  into  a  patrimony  for  the  bas- 
tards of  the  incumbents.  Frauds  and  abuses  of  every 
description  were  practised ;  legends  w^ere  forged,  ly- 
ing wonders  invented,  and  all  the  resources  of  fable 
and  forgery  exhausted,  to  celebrate  exploits  which  had 
never  been  performed.  Skulls  and  jaw  bones,  legs  and 
arms,  were  collected  under  pretence  of  being  the  relics 
of  the  primitive  martyrs,  and  deposited  in  churches  in 
order  to  procure  the  rich  presents  of  wealthy  suppli- 
cants, who  flocked  to  them  for  deliverance  under  af- 
fliction and  dangers.  Marriages,  wills,  contracts,  the 
interests  of  families  and  of  courts,  the  circumstances 
connected  with. the  living  and  the  dead,  were  all  con- 
verted into  instruments  and  occasions  for  increasing 
the  power  and  riches  of  the  church.     The  ignorance 

♦  Mosheim,  ibid. 


36  ON   THE   EFFECTS 

and  superstition  which  the  corruptions  of  Christianity 
had  introduced,  were  dextrously  improved  by  the  ec- 
clesiastical rulers  to  fill  their  coffers,  and  to  drain  the 
purses  of  the  deluded  multitude.  All  the  various  ranks 
and  orders  of  the  clergy  had  each  their  peculiar  method 
of  fleecing  the  people,  and  increasing  their  revenues. 
"  The  bishops  when  they  wanted  money  for  their  pri- 
vate pleasures,  granted  to  their  flock  the  power  of 
purchasing  the  remission  of  the  penalties  imposed  upon 
transgressors,  by  a  sum  of  money  which  was  to  be  ap- 
plied to  certain  religious  purposes,  or,  in  other  words, 
they  published  Indulgences^  which  became  an  inex- 
haustible source  of  opulence  to  the  Episcopal  orders, 
and  enabled  them  to  form  and  execute  the  most  diffi' 
cult  schemes  for  the  enlargement  of  their  authority, 
and  to  erect  a  multitude  of  sacred  edifices  which  aug- 
mented the  external  pomp  and  splendor  of  the  church. 
The  abbots  and  monks,  equally  covetous  and  ambitious, 
had  resource  to  other  methods  of  enriching  their  con- 
vents. They  carried  about  the  country  the  carcasses 
and  relics  of  the  saints,  in  solemn  procession,  and  per- 
mitted the  multitude  to  behold,  touch,  and  embrace 
those  sacred  and  lucrative  remains,  at  certain  fixed 
prices.  By  this  raree  show,  the  monastic  orders  often 
gained  as  much  as  the  bishops  did  by  their  indulgen- 
ces."* At  length  the  Roman  Pontiffs  assumed  the  chief 
power  over  this  profitable  traffic,  and  "  when  the  wants 
of  the  church  or  the  demon  of  avarice  prompted  them 
to  look  out  for  new  subsidies,  published  not  only  a  uni- 
versal, but  ^plenary  remission  of  all  the  temporal  pains 
and  penalties  which  the  church  had  annexed  to  certain 
transgressions."  "  They  even  audaciously  usurped  the 
authority  which  belongs  to  God  alone,  and  impiously 
pretended  to  abolish  even  the  punishments  which  are 
reserved  in  a  future  state  for  the  workers  of  iniquity, 
a  step  which  the  bishops,  with  all  their  avarice  and 
presumption,  had  never  once  ventured  to  take."t 

It  was  by  the  sale  of  such  indulgences  that  Pope 
Leo  X.  carried  forward  the  magnificent  structure  of 

*  Mosheim,  Cent.  12.  t  Ibid. 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  37 

St.  Peter's  church  at  Rome.  He  published  a  system 
of  indulgences  suited  to  all  ranks  and  characters  of 
men,  and  promised  a  plenary  remission  to  all  who 
should  contribute  their  money  to  the  furtherance  of  this 
and  other  ambitious  projects.  So  that  the  foundations 
of  this  edifice,  which  has  been  so  much  extolled,  were 
laid,  and  its  superstructure  reared,  by  means  the  most 
impious  and  diabolical,  by  a  display  of  reckless  perfidy 
and  insatiable  avarice,  and  at  the  expense  of  under- 
mining the  whole  fabric  of  Christianity,  and  usurping 
the  prerogatives  of  the  King  of  heaven.  To  such  a 
pitch  was  this  daring  impiety  carried,  that  indulgences 
were  farmed  out  to  the  highest  bidders,  who,  to  make 
the  best  of  their  bargains,  procured  the  ablest  and  most 
eloquent  preachers  to  extol  the  efficacy,  and  enhance 
the  value  of  such  wares.  A  price,  on  a  graduated 
scale,  was  set  upon  the  remission  of  sins  of  every  de- 
scription, not  even  excepting  the  most  horrid  crimes, 
such  as  the  murder  of  a  father,  mother  or  wife,  so  that 
for  ninety  livres,  or  a  few  ducats,  or  even  for  half  a 
guinea  of  Enghsh  money,  a  pardon  might  be  procured 
from  the  "Apostolic  Chancery,"  for  crimes  which  all 
civilized  nations  punish  with  death.  The  raging  thirst 
of  dominions  which  consumed  the  Roman  Pontiflfs,  pri- 
or to  the  Reformation,  and  their  arrogant  endeavors  to 
oppress  all  that  came  within  the  reach  of  their  power, 
were  accompanied  with  the  most  impudent  and  insa- 
tiable extortion.  "  All  the  provinces  of  Europe  were 
in  a  manner  drained  to  enrich  these  ghostly  tyrants, 
who  were  perpetually  gaping  after  new  accessions  of 
wealth,  in  order  to  augment  the  number  of  their  friends, 
and  the  stability  of  their  dominions  ;  and  every  strata- 
gem was  used  to  rob  the  subject  without  shocking  the 
sovereign,  and  to  levy  taxes  under  the  specious  mark 
of  religion."*  Such  was  the  shameless  rapacity  which 
then  prevailed,  that  even  in  that  age  of  superstition  and 
servility,  the  eyes  of  all  ranks  began  to  open  and  to 
perceive  the  vileness  and  impiety  of  the  pretensions  of 
the  ecclesiastical  orders.     Not  only  private  persons 

*  Mosheim.  Cent.  12. 


;38  ON    THE    EFFECTS 

but  also  the  most  powerful  princes  and  sovereign  states 
exclaimed  loudly  against  the  despotic  dominion  of  the 
Pontiffs,  the  fraud,  avarice  and  injustice  that  prevailed 
in  their  councils,  the  arrogance  and  extortion  of  their 
legates,  and  the  unbridled  licentiousness  and  rapacity 
of  the  clergy  and  monks  of  all  denominations,  till  at 
length  the  Reformation  dawned  and  brought  to  light  a 
scene  of  extortion  and  profligacy  produced  by  the  lust 
of  covetousness,  which  had  never  before  been  exhibited 
with  such  effrontery,  in  any  country  under  heaven.  In 
such  a  state  of  things  it  was  no  wonder  that  ignorance 
prevailed,  that  morality  was  undermined,  and  the  pe- 
culiar doctrines  of  Christianity  thrown  into  the  shade 
and  entirely  overlooked.  The  public  worship  of  the 
Deity  was  httle  more  than  a  pompous  round  of  exter- 
nal ceremonies  more  adapted  to  dazzle  the  eye  than  to 
enlighten  the  understanding  or  to  affect  the  heart.  The 
discourses  of  the  clergy  were  little  else  than  fictitious 
reports  of  miracles  and  prodigies,  insipid  fables, 
wretched  quibbles  and  illiterate  jargon  which  deceived 
the  multitude  instead  of  instructing  them.  The  au- 
thority of  the  holy  mother  church,  the  obligation  of 
obedience  to  her  decisions,  the  virtues  and  merits  of 
the  saints,  the  dignity  and  glory  of  the  blessed  virgin, 
the  efficacy  of  relics,  the  adorning  of  churches,  the  en- 
dowing of  monasteries,  the  utility  of  indulgences,  and 
the  burnings  of  purgatory,  were  the  principal  subjects 
on  which  the  clergy  descanted,  and  which  employed 
the  pens  of  eminent  doctors  of  divinity,  because  they 
tended  to  fill  the  coffers  of  mother  church,  to  gratify 
her  ambition,  and  to  advance  her  temporal  interests. 

It  is  impossible  to  ascertain,  with  any  degree  of  ac- 
curacy, the  vast  sums  of  money  and  the  immense  pro- 
perty which  for  ages  were  extorted  from  the  people  of 
Christendom  for  such  unhallowed  and  sacrilegious  de- 
vices. But  it  must  have  amounted  to  many  thousands 
of  millions  of  pounds,  the  greater  part  of  which  was 
employed  for  the  purposes  of  devastation  and  carnage, 
of  luxury  and  debauchery^  and  for  tyrannizing  over  the 
people,  whom  the  clergy  had  reduced  to  poverty  and 
ignorance,  by  their  shameful  licentiousness  and  un- 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  39 

bounded  rapacity.  The  one-fifth  of  the  wealth  thus 
acquired,  had  it  been  spent  for  the  good  of  the  church, 
as  was  impiously  pretended,  might  have  been  sufficient 
to  have  diffused  the  knowledge  of  the  gospel  of  Christ 
over  every  region  of  the  globe,  and  to  have  evangelized 
every  portion  of  the  Pagan  world.  But,  alas  !  it  was 
wasted  in  promoting  schemes  directly  opposed  to  the 
principles  and  interests  of  genuine  Christianity,  form- 
ing one  striking  instance,  among  many,  of  the  incalcu- 
lable good  which  has  been  prevented,  and  the  numer- 
ous evils  which  have  been  entailed  on  the  world  by  the 
indulgence  of  Covetousness.  The  Pope's  present  re- 
venues as  a  temporal  prince,  have  been  calculated  to 
amount  to  at  least  £1,000,000  sterling,  per  annum, 
arising  chiefly  from  the  monopoly  of  corn,  the  duties 
on  wine  and  other  provisions.  Over  and  above  these, 
vast  sums  are  continually  flowing  into  the  Papal  trea- 
sury from  all  the  Roman  Catholic  countries,  for  dis- 
pensations, indulgences,  canonizations,  annats,  the  pal- 
lia, the  investitures  of  bishops  and  archbishops,  and 
other  resources.  It  is  computed,  that  the  monks  and 
regular  clergj^  who  are  absolutely  at  the  Pope's  devo- 
tion, do  not  amount  to  less  than  2,000,000  of  persons, 
dispersed  through  all  the  Roman  Cathohc  countries  to 
assert  his  supremacy  over  princes,  and  to  promote  the 
interest  of  that  church.  The  revenues  of  these  monks 
do  not  fall  short  of  £200,000,000  sterling,  besides  the 
casual  profits  arising  from  offerings,  and  the  people's 
bounty  to  the  church,  who  are  taught  that  their  salva- 
tion depends  upon  this  kind  of  benevolence.  In  Spain 
alone,  the  number  of  ecclesiastics,  including  the  paro- 
chial clergy,  monks,  nuns,  syndics,  inquisitors,  &c., 
amounts  to  188,625.  The  number  of  archbishops  is 
eight,  and  of  bishoprics,  forty-six.  The  archbishop  of 
Toledo  alone  has  a  revenue  which,  according  to  the 
most  moderate  calculation,  amounts  to  £90,000  an- 
nually. In  Portugal,  in  1732,  there  were  reckoned 
above  300,000  ecclesiastics  out  of  a  population  of  less 
than  two  millions.  The  Patriarch  of  Lisbon  has  an 
annual  revenue  of  £30,000,  and  the  revenue  of  the 
Patriarchal  Church,  above  £114,000  sterling  per  an- 


40  ON   THE    EFFECTS 

num.  It  is  stated  by  Mr.  Locke,  in  a  Diary  of  his 
travels  when  on  the  Continent,  inserted  in  Lord  King's 
late  biography  of  that  illustrious  philosopher,  that  the 
expense  of  the  ecclesiastical  estabhshment  of  France, 
at  the  period  in  which  he  resided  in  that  country, 
amounted  to  above  twenty-four  millions  of  pounds 
sterling.  What,  then,  must  have  been  the  immense 
treasures  of  wealth  collected  by  the  extortions  of  the 
Roman  pontiffs  and  bishops  prior  to  the  Reformation, 
when  the  whole  of  the  European  nations  lay  prostrate 
at  their  feet,  and  were  subservient  to  their  interests, — 
and  when  the  newly  discovered  countries  in  America 
were  plundered  to  augment  their  revenues,  and  to 
gratify  their  unbounded  rapacity !  The  wealth  thus 
amassed,  might  have  been  almost  sufficient  to  have 
cultivated  every  region,  and  to  have  transformed  every 
portion  of  the  globe  into  an  earthly  paradise. 

Even  in  England,  during  the  reign  of  Papal  tyran- 
ny, the  avarice  of  the  clergy  seems  to  have  risen  to  an 
enormous  height.  Mr.  Hume,  in  his  history  of  the 
reign  of  Henry  HL  of  England,  gives  the  following 
description  : — "  Every  thing  was  become  venal  in  the 
Romish  tribunals ;  simony  was  openly  practised ;  no 
favors,  and  even  no  justice  could  be  obtained  without 
a  bribe  ;  the  highest  bidder  was  sure  to  have  the  pre- 
ference, without  regard  either  to  the  merits  of  the  per- 
son or  of  the  cause  ;  and  besides  the  usual  perversions 
of  rights  and  the  decision  of  controversies,  the  Pope 
openly  assumed  an  absolute  and  uncontrolled  authori- 
ty of  setting  aside,  by  the  plenitude  of  his  Apostolic 
power,  all  particular  rules  and  all  privileges  of  patrons, 
churches  and  convents.  On  pretence  of  remedying 
these  abuses,  Pope  Honorius,  in  1226,  complaining  of 
the  poverty  of  his  see  as  the  source  of  all  grievances, 
demanded  from  every  cathedral  two  of  the  best  pre- 
bends, and  from  every  convent  two  monks'  portions,  to 
be  set  apart  as  a  perpetual  and  settled  revenue  of  the 
papal  crown ;  but  all  men  being  sensible  that  the  re- 
venue would  continue  forever,  his  demand  was  unani- 
mously rejected.  About  three  years  after,  the  Pope 
demanded  and  obtained  the  tenth  of  all  ecclesiastical 


OP    COVETOUSNESS.  41 

revenues,  which  he  levied  in  a  very  oppressive  man- 
ner, requiring  payment  before  the  clergy  had  drawn 
their  rents  or  tithes,  and  sending  about  usurers  who 
advanced  them  the  money  at  exorbitant  interest.  In 
the  year  1240,  Otho  the  legate,  having  in  vain  attempt- 
ed the  clergy  in  a  body,  obtained  separately,  by  in- 
trigues and  menaces,  large  sums  from  the  prelates  and 
convents,  and  on  his  departure,  is  said  to  have  carried 
more  money  out  of  the  kingdom  than  he  left  in  it.  This 
experiment  was  renewed  after  four  years  w^ith  success 
by  Martin,  the  nuncio,  who  brought  from  Rome  powers 
of  suspending  and  excommunicating  all  clergymen  that 
refused  to  comply  with  his  demands.  Meanwhile  all 
the  chief  benefices  of  the  kingdom  were  bestowed  on 
Itahans  ;  non-residence  and  pluralities  were  carried  to 
an  enormous  height ;  Mansel,  the  king's  chaplain,  is 
computed  to  have  held  at  once  seven  hundred  eccle- 
siastical livings,  and  the  abuses  became  so  evident  as 
to  be  palpable  to  the  blindness  of  superstition  itself" 
"  The  benefices  of  the  Italian  clergy,  in  England,  were 
estimated  at  the  amount  of  60,000  marks  a  year,  a  sum 
which  exceeded  the  annual  revenue  of  the  Crown  it- 
self" "  Pope  Innocent  exacted  the  revenues  of  all 
vacant  benefices,  the  twentieth  of  all  ecclesiastical 
revenues  without  exception,  the  third  of  such  as  ex- 
ceeded 100  marks  a  year,  and  the  half  of  such  as  were 
possessed  by  non-residents.  He  claimed  the  goods  of 
all  intestate  clergymen ;  he  pretended  a  right  to  in- 
herit all  money  gotten  by  usury  ;  he  levied  benevolen- 
cies  upon  the  people  ;  and  when  the  king  prohibited 
these  exactions,  he  threatened  to  pronounce  against 
him  the  sentence  of  excommunication."  Such  was  the 
boundless  rapacity  of  the  Popes,  the  extravagant  ex- 
actions they  enforced,  and  the  power  they  wielded  to 
gratify  their  avaricious  desires.  There  is,  perhaps,  not 
a  similar  instance  to  be  found  in  the  history  of  man,  in 
any  nation  on  the  face  of  the  globe,  of  Covetousness, 
under  the  mask  of  religion,  so  impudent,  unbounded, 
and  extravagant. 

There  is  a  certain  class  of  persons  connected  with 
the  Romish  Church  who  have  been  more  arrogant  and 
4* 


42  ON    THE    EFFECTS 

rapacious  than  almost  any  other  class,  except  the  pon- 
tiffs, namely,  those  individuals  commonly  designated  by 
the  title  of  "  The  Pope's  Nephews.'"  An  Italian  writer 
of  the  17th  century,  who  appears  to  have  been  a  mod- 
erate Catholic,  when  sketching  the  characters  of  the 
existing  cardinals,  and  the  Pope's  Nephews,  relates, 
among  other  curious  and  melancholy  pieces  of  historj^, 
the  following  circumstance  :  "  A  friend  of  mine  had  the 
curiosity  to  calculate  the  money  that  has  been  given  to 
the  Nephews,  and  he  began  at  the  year  1 500,  and,  after 
a  great  deal  of  pains,  he  found  issuing  from  the  trea- 
sury of  the  church  above  seventy  millions  of  double 
ducats*  all  delivered  into  the  hands  of  their  kindred  : 
And  this  is  to  be  understood  of  visible  monies ;  for  of 
private  and  invisible  sums,  there  may  perhaps  be  twen- 
ty milhons  more.  And  those  Romans  that  are  within 
the  town,  and  have  more  time  to  cast  up  what  has  been 
extorted  from  them,  if  they  would  take  the  pains  to 
examine  it  more  strictly,  I  am  satisfied,  would  find  it 
much  more."  The  author,  HLe  a  good  and  zealous 
Cathohc,  makes  the  following  reflection  on  this  fact. 
*'  If  these  seventy  millions  of  double  ducats  had  been 
spent  in  persecuting  heretics,  or  in  making  w^ar  upon 
infidels,  where  would  any  infidels  be  ?  where  would  any 
heretics  be  ?  Those  seventy  millions  would  have  been 
enough  to  have  overrun  all  Asia.  And  (which  is  of 
importance  too,)  the  princes  would  have  contributed  as 
much  more,  had  they  seen  the  Popes  more  tenacious 
against  their  kindred,  and  more  free  to  the  soldiers 
who  were  fighting  for  Christ."  The  same  author  states, 
that ''  Innocent  the  tenth,  to  satisfy  the  fancy  of  a  Kins- 
woman,  spent  a  hundred  thousand  crowns  upon  a  foun- 
tain ;  yet  with  great  difliculty  could  scarce  find  forty 
thousand  to  supply  the  Emperor  in  his  wars  with  the 
Protestants,"  and  "  This  good  Pope  would  nevertheless, 
leave  to  his  cousin,  to  the  house  of  Pamphylia,  and 

*  A  ducat  is  about  4s.  6d.  or  5s.  in  value,  when  of  silver,  and  twice  as 
much  when  of  gold.  The  double  ducats  of  Venice,  Florence,  Genoa, 
&c.,  weigh  five  pennyweights,  seventeen  grains  of  gold,  and  conse^ 
quently,  are  about  the  value  of  an  English  guinea,  so  that  the  above  sum 
may  be  considered  as  equivalent  to  £73,500,000  sterling,  which  is. 
equivalent  to  more  than  300  millions  of  pounds  at  the  present  time. 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  4S 

other  houses  alhed  to  that,  above  eight  millions  of 
crowns,  with  which  sum  they  flourish  in  Rome  to  this 
very  day."  Again,  "  The  Barharini  were  in  Rome  at 
the  same  time,  and  enjoyed  a  rent  o{  four  hundred 
thousand  crowns ;  and  yet  in  a  war  of  so  much  im- 
portance to  the  Cathohc  rehgion,  they  could  not  find 
forty  thousand.  But,  oh  God  !  (I  speak  it  with  tears  in 
my  eyes)  against  the  most  Catholic  princes  of  Italy, 
vAole  millions  were  nothing ;  they  could  turn  the 
Cross  into  a  sword  to  revenge  their  particular  injuries  ; 
but  in  the  relief  of  the  Emperor,  who  was  vindicating 
the  Christian  faith,  they  could  not  find  so  much  as  a 
few  hundreds."  On  such  circumstances  he  makes  the 
following  remarks  :  "  The  infidels  laugh,  and  the  here- 
tics rejoice  to  see  the  wealth  of  the  Church  so  irreli- 
giously devoured,  while  the  poor  christian  w  eeps  at  their 
merriment."  "  The  heat  and  passion  which  the  Popes 
show^  hourly  for  their  Nephews — to  gain  Principalities 
for  them,  to  bestow  pension  upon  pension  upon  them, 
to  build  palace  upon  palace  for  them,  and  to  fill  their 
coffers  with  treasure  to  the  brim,  is  that  which  cools 
the  resolution  of  the  zealousest  prince,  and  exasperates 
the  infidels  in  their  wicked  designs.  A  great  shame  it 
is,  indeed,  that  the  heretics  should  have  more  ground  to 
accuse  the  Catholics,  than  the  Catholic  has  to  impeach 
the  heretic."  I  shall  only  extract  farther  the  following 
apostrophe  of  the  author,  in  reference  to  this  subject. 
"  Oh  God !  to  what  purpose  will  they  keep  so  many 
jewels  at  Loretta,  so  much  consecrated  plate  at  Rome, 
so  many  abbeys  for  their  Nephews,  so  much  wealth  for 
the  Popes,  if  abandoning  their  commonwealth,  and  re- 
fusing it  that  humane  supply  that  is  necessary  for  the 
celestial  glory,  it  be  constrained  to  submit  to  the  Otto- 
man power  which  threatens  it  now  with  the  greatest 
effect.  If  the  wealth  of  the  Popes  be  devoured,  the 
benefices  of  the  cardinals  given  to  the  priest  of  Ma- 
homet, the  Abbeys  of  the  Nephews  usurped  by  the 
Turks,  the  sacred  vessels  at  Rome  profaned  by  these 
Infidels,  and   the  seraglio  adorned  with  the  gems  of 


44  ON    THE    EFFECTS 

Loretta  ;  God  grant  my  eyes  may  never  see  that  spec- 
tacle !"*■ 

Thus  it  appears,  even  from  the  testimony  of  Roman 
Cathohc  writers,  that  immense  sums  were  wrested  from 
the  "  Christian  people,"  by  every  species  of  fraud  and 
extortion ;  that  these  sums,  instead  of  being  applied  to 
the  maintenance  and  defence  of  the  Church,  as  was 
pretended,  were  wasted  in  luxury  and  extravagance, 
in  selfish  gratifications,  in  riot  and  debauchery,  in  ac- 
cumulating wealth  on  the  heads  of  their  relatives  and 
favorites, — most  of  whom  were  infidels  and  debau- 
chees, in  gratifying  the  pride  and  avarice  of  courtezans, 
and  in  the  most  romantic  and  ambitious  projects.  The 
single  structure  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome,  cost  the  enor- 
mous sum  of  twelve  millions  of  pounds  ;  and,  in  our  age 
and  country,  would  have  cost  at  least  thirty-six  millions 
of  pounds  sterling.  What,  then,  must  have  been  the 
immense  sums  expended  on  similar  objects,  intended 
merely  for  worldly  ostentation,  throughout  the  whole 
of  Christendom,  besides  the  millions  wasted  in  the 
pursuits  of  tyranny,  sensuality  and  debauchery  !  The 
mind  of  a  reflecting  Christian  is  almost  overwhelmed  at 
the  thought  that  such  sacrilegious  enormities  should 
have  been  so  long  permitted  to  continue  under  the 
moral  government  of  God  ;  and  that  such  treasures 
should  have  been  consecrated,  for  so  many  ages,  to 
the  support  of  the  kingdom  of  darkness,  while  the  true 
Church  of  Christ  was  obliged  to  pine  away  in  poverty, 
and  hide  its  head  in  dens  and  caves  of  the  earth.  But 
such  are  the  deplorable  and  overwhelming  eftects  of 
Covetous ness^  when  it  gains  an  ascendancy  in  the 
minds  of  individuals,  communities,  or  nations.  To  ac- 
complish its  objects,  every  dictate  of  prudence  is  dis- 
carded, every  law,  human  and  divine,  trampled  under 
foot,  every  ordinance  of  religion  violated  and  profaned, 
every  threatening  of  future  punishment  set  at  nought, 
the  happiness  or  misery  of  fellow  creatures  entirely 

♦See  a  folio  volume  of  330  pages,  entitled  "  Jl  Cardinalismo  di  sanc- 
ta  Chiesa;  or  the  History  of  the  Cardinals  ofthe  Romish  Church,  from 
the  time  of  their  first  creation  to  the  election  of  Pope  Clement  the  ninth. 
Written  in  Italian  by  the  author  of  Nepotismo  dilioma.  London,  1670. 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  45 

disregarded,  atrocious  murders  perpetrated  without  re- 
morse, and,  in  its  boundless  projects,  the  whole  earth 
appears  too  narro\y  a  field  for  the  scene  of  its  devasta- 

Let  us  now  attend  to  the  operations  of  Covetous- 
ness  as  it  appears  in  individuals  and  societies  connect- 
ed with  Protestant  and  Evangelical  Churches. 

The  operation  of  this  affection  among  professing 
Christians  in  general,  is  apparent,  from  the  eagerness 
and  restless  activity  with  which  the  acquisition  of  wealth 
is  prosecuted.  Diligence  and  activity  in  business  is  the 
duty  of  every  man ;  and  he  who,  in  this  way,  "  pro- 
vides not  for  his  household,  hath  denied  the  faith,  and 
is  worse  than  an  infidel."  But  the  keenness  and  un- 
wearied exertion  so  frequently  displayed  in  the  accu- 
mulation of  wealth,  are  very  different  and  ought  to  be 
distinguished  from  that  dutiful  attention  which  every 
man  ought  to  exercise  in  procuring  the  means  of  com- 
fortable subsistence.  When  we  look  around  us  on  the 
world,  and  even  on  the  conduct  of  many  Christians, 
one  would  be  almost  apt  to  conclude,  that  the  acquisi- 
tion of  riches  and  honors  is  the  great  object  of  pursuit, 
and  the  ultimate  end  of  human  existence.  For  men 
will  make  sacrifices,  and  expose  themselves  to  incon- 
veniences, privations,  and  dangers,  to  acquire  money, 
which  they  would  refuse  to  do,  in  order  to  supply  the 
wants  of  a  poor  and  afflicted  family,  or  to  promote  the 
best  interests  of  an  immortal  soul,  even  when  there  is 
no  necessity  for  accumulating  wealth  in  order  to  fami- 
ly comfort.  This  disposition  likewise  appears,  in  being 
unsatisfied  with  the  wealth  already  acquired,  even  when 
every  sensitive  comfort  consistent  with  reason  and  reli- 
gion is  already  enjoyed.  There  is  too  much  aiming  at 
what  is  called  independence — a  want  of  contentment 
under  the  present  allotments  of  Providence,  and  a  dis- 
trust of  the  care  and  the  promises  of  Him  who  has 
said,  "  Thy  bread  shall  be  given  thee,  and  thy  water 
shall  be  sure,"  and  "  I  will  never  leave  thee  nor  forsake 
thee."  How  few  are  there  to  be  found,  even  among 
evangelical  Christians,  whose  language  and  conduct 


46  ON    THE    EFFECTS 

declare, — "  We  are  perfectly  contented  with  the  ar- 
rangements of  the  Almighty,  and  with  that  portion  of 
earthly  good  which  he  has  bestowed  upon  us,  and  we 
confidently  trust  that  in  the  use  of  all  proper  means,  he 
will  cause  'goodness  and  mercy  to  follow  us  all  the 
days  of  our  lives  ;'  for  all  his  allotments  are  determined 
by  Infinite  wisdom  and  rectitude  !"  The  same  dispo- 
sition appears  in  refusing  to  contribute  to  philanthropic 
objects,  or  in  contributing  the  smallest  and  most  trifling 
sums.  While  large  sums  are  unnecessarily  expended 
in  expensive  articles  of  dress  and  furniture,  the  most 
pitiful  and  niggardly  sums  are  sometimes  reluctantly 
given  for  the  promotion  of  objects  which  have  for  their 
ultimate  end  the  alleviation  of  human  misery,  the  dif- 
fusion of  divine  knowledge,  and  the  renovation  of  the 
world.  But,  leaving  such  general  observations,  it  may 
be  expedient  to  descend  into  particulars,  and  fix  our  at- 
tention for  a  little,  on  some  of  the  more  prominent 
modes  by  which  covetous  affections  are  manifested  by 
professing  Christians. 

Covetousness  assumes  an  immense  variety  of  diflfer- 
ent  shapes,  and  manifests  itself  in  such  a  multiplicity 
of  modes,  that  it  would  require  volumes  of  description, 
were  we  to  trace  it  in  all  its  turnings  and  w^indings, 
and  the  diversity  of  phases  in  which  it  appears  in  dif- 
ferent individurils,  and  throughout  the  ramifications  of 
Christian  society;  and  therefore  I  shall  confine  myself 
to  some  of  its  more  general  or  leading  aspects. 

1.  It  appears  in  its  most  abject  and  degrading  form 
in  the  practice  of  hoarding  money  and  acquiring  hou- 
ses and  lands,  for  the  mere  purpose  of  accumulation, 
when  there  is  no  intention  of  enjoying  such  wealth,  or 
bringing  it  forward  for  the  good  of  society.  A  man 
who  is  under  the  influence  of  this  vile  propensity  will 
sometimes  exhibit  an  apparent  decency  and  respecta- 
bility of  conduct  to  general  society.  He  will  seldom 
be  distinguished  for  gluttony,  drunkenness,  or  debau- 
chery ;  for  such  indulgences  run  counter  to  his  love  of 
gain  and  his  hoarding  propensities.  He  will  even  at- 
tend with  punctuality  on  the  public  ordinances  of  reli- 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  47 

gion,  and,  for  the  sake  of  character,  ^vill  give  his  half- 
penny or  his  penny  to  the  collections  for  the  poor,  and 
will  likewise  keep  up  a  routine  of  family  worship  in 
private,  because  it  costs  him  nothing.  Among  his 
neighbors  he  may  enjoy  the  reputation  of  being  a  sober, 
industrious  anid  frugal  character,  and  be  set  in  con- 
trast with  the  profligate  and  the  profane.  But  all  the 
while  his  heart  is  set  upon  his  covetousness.  To  ac- 
quire money  by  every  mean  that  will  not  subject  him 
to  the  ciiminal  laws,  and  to  place  it  in  security,  are  the 
great  and  ultimate  objects  of  his  pursuit;  his  w^hole  af- 
fections are  absorbed  in  the  accumulation  of  wealth  ; 
mammon  is  the  great  idol  which  he  adores  ;  and  what- 
ever semblance  of  religion  he  may  assume,  he  worships 
and  serves  the  creature  more  than  the  Creator.  He  is 
hard  and  griping  in  every  bargain  he  makes  ;  he  grinds 
the  faces  of  the  poor,  and  refuses  to  relieve  the  wants 
of  the  needy  ;  his  weights  and  measures  are  frequently 
found  deficient,  and  he  cheats  without  remorse,  if  he 
can  pass  without  detection.  He  envies  the  man  who 
is  richer  or  more  prosperous  than  himself,  and  he  casts 
his  eyes  around  him  on  the  possessions  of  the  poor,  if 
perchance,  by  cunning  and  deceit,  he  may  acquire  them 
at  half  their  value.  However  fast  his  wealth  may  in- 
crease, "  though  he  heap  up  silver  as  the  dust,"  and 
"the  gold  of  Ophir  as  the  stones  of  the  brooks,"  his 
wishes  are  never  satisfied,  and  his  accumulated  wealth 
always  lags  behind  his  avaricious  desires.  He  thinks 
he  has  a  right  to  be  rich,  and  he  murmurs  against  the 
dispensations  of  Providence,  when  they  frustrate  his 
schemes  and  disappoint  his  expectations.  He  is  unhap- 
py, because  he  is  unsatisfied  with  what  he  has  already 
acquired,  and  because  his  plans  for  accumulating  gain 
are  so  frequently  disconcerted.  Gratitude  to  God  and 
reliance  on  his  providential  care,  tenderness,  sympathy, 
and  kindness,  domestic  affection,  and  expansive  be- 
neficence, are  virtues  v/hich  can  never  find  an  entrance 
to  his  heart ;  for  all  the  avenues  to  true  enjoyment  are 
interrupted,  and  closely  shut  up  by  the  cold  hand  of 
avarice.  He  denies  himself  those  sensitive  comforts 
which  Providence  has  put  within  his  reach,  and  almost 


46  ON    THE    EFFECTS 

starves  himself  in  the  midst  of  riches  and  plenty.  He 
stints  the  comforts  of  his  family  and  dependents,  im- 
parting to  them  the  necessaries  of  life  in  shreds  and 
crumbs,  and  stooping  to  the  meanest  and  most  de- 
basing expedients,  in  order  to  save  a  shilling  or  to  in- 
crease his  store — days  and  years  roll  on  and  carry  him 
near  to  the  verge  of  time.  As  he  approaches  nearer 
the  grave,  into  which  his  riches  cannot  descend,  his 
desires  after  them  still  increase,  and  he  clings  to  them 
with  a  more  eager  grasp.  His  last  sickness  seizes 
him  while  he  is  counting  his  gold,  arranging  his  bills, 
collecting  his  rents,  or  prosecuting  the  poor  debtors 
who  have  come  under  his  grasp.  He  is  determined 
to  hold  fast  his  treasures  till  the  last  moment ;  even 
the  near  prospect  of  dissolution  is  insufficient  to  make 
his  heart  relent  over  a  poor  family  w^hom  he  is 
hurrying  into  ruin,  and  in  the  very  article  of  death,  his 
heart  is  glued  to  earthly  treasures,  in  spite  of  every  re- 
monstrance ;  sometimes  grasping  the  keys  of  his  cof- 
fers with  a  desperate  resolution,  till,  at  length,  his  soul 
takes  its  downward  flight  to  that  world  for  which  it  is 
prepared. 

Such  is  a  faint  picture  of  the  covetous  man  who 
"  lays  up  treasures  for  himself,  and  is  not  rich  towards 
God."  Such  is  the  character,  more  or  less  deeply 
marked,  of  not  a  few  who  pass  under  the  Christian 
name,  and  have  a  place  in  the  Christian  church. 
When  they  are  dextrous  in  the  exercise  of  cunning 
and  deceit,  and  their  conduct  is  unmarked  with  any 
flagrant  vice,  they  may  long  continue  their  course 
without  much  reprobation  from  general  and  even 
Christian  society,  especially  if  they  have  acquired  the 
habit  of  dissimulation  and  hypocritical  canting.  But 
the  principle  which  pervades  the  souls  of  such  persons, 
if  permitted  to  operate  without  control,  would  display 
itself  in  a  still  more  glaring  and  disgustful  manner, — 
of  which  we  have  many  examples  recorded  in  biogra- 
phy and  history.  In  order  to  exhibit  covetousness  in 
its  real  light,  and  to  impress  the  mind  with  the  baseness 
and  revolting  nature  of  this  passion,  it  may  not  be  im- 
proper to  select  two  or  three  examples. 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  49 

Edward  Nokes  was  by  trade  a  tinker,  at  Horn- 
church  in  Essex.  His  apartments  portrayed  symptoms 
of  the  most  abject  poverty,  though,  at  his  death,  he  was 
found  to  be  possessed  of  between  five  and  six  thousand 
pounds.  He  had  a  wife  and  several  children  whom  he 
brought  up  in  the  most  parsimonious  manner,  often 
feeding  them  on  grains  and  offals  of  meat  which  he 
purchased  at  reduced  prices.  In  order  to  save  the  ex- 
pense of  shaving,  he  would  encourage  the  dirt  to  gath- 
er on  his  face,  to  hide  in  some  measure  this  defect.  He 
never  suffered  his  shirt  to  be  washed  in  water,  but  after 
wearing  it  till  it  became  intolerably  black,  he  used  to 
wash  it  in  wine  to  save  the  expense  of  soap.  His  coat, 
which  time  had  transformed  into  a  jacket,  would  have 
puzzled  the  most  accomplished  chemist  to  determine 
its  original  color,  so  covered  was  it  with  shreds  and 
patches  of  different  colors,  and  those  so  diversified  as 
to  resemble  the  trophies  of  the  different  nations  of  Eu- 
rope. The  interest  of  his  money,  together  with  all  he 
could  heap  up,  he  used  to  deposit  in  a  bag,  which  bag 
was  covered  up  in  a  tin  pot,  and  then  conveyed  to  a 
brick  kitchen  where  one  of  the  bricks  was  taken  up, 
and  a  hole  made  just  large  enough  to  hold  the  pot ;  the 
brick  was  then  carefully  marked,  and  a  tally  kept  be- 
hind the  door,  of  the  sum  deposited.  One  day  his  wife 
discovered  the  hoard,  and  took  from  the  pot  one  of  16 
guineas  that  were  placed  therein ;  but  when  her  hus- 
band came  to  count  his  money,  on  finding  it  not  to 
agree  with  the  tally,  behind  the  door,  which  his  wife 
did  not  know  of,  he  taxed  her  with  the  theft,  and  to  the 
day  of  his  death — even  on  Ms  death  bed,  he  never  spoke 
to  her.  without  adding  the  epithet  "  thief"  to  every  ex- 
pression. A  short  time  before  his  death  he  gave  strick 
charge  that  his  coffin  should  not  have  a  nail  in  it,  which 
was  actually  the  case,  the  lid  being  fastened  with  hin- 
ges made  of  cords.  His  shroud  was  made  of  a  pound 
of  wool,  the  coffin  was  covered  with  a  sheet  instead  of  a 
pall,  and  was  carried  by  six  men,  to  each  of  whom  he 
left  half  a  crown.  At  his  particular  desire,  no  one  who 
followed  him  to  •the  grave  wore  mourning  ;  even  the 
undertaker  was  habited  in  a  blue  coat  and  scarlet 
5 


50  ON    THE    EFFECTS 

waistcoat.     He  died  in  1802,  a  wretched  example  of 
the  degrading  effects  of  avarice. 

In  November,  1821,  a  person  of  the  name  of  Harri- 
son died  in  Bennet  street,  Rathbone  place,  Oxford  road, 
London,  where  he  had  lodged  20  years.  The  furni- 
ture of  his  room  consisted  of  one  old  chair,  a  table,  an 
old  stump  bed-stead,  and  abed  of  straw ;  in  one  corner 
was  a  heap  of  ashes ;  and  the  cupboard,  the  day  after 
his  decease,  contained  a  few  potatoe  peelings  and  a 
stale  roll.  His  body  presented  a  picture  of  extreme 
misery  and  starvation,  though  he  had  no  family,  and  had 
property  in  the  funds  to  the  amount  of  £1500.  A  fe- 
male friend  who  was  in  the  habit  of  visiting  him,  depo- 
sed before  the  Coroner,  that  he  would  let  no  person  but 
her  enter  his  room,  which  he  always  kept  padlocked  on 
the  inside,  for  fear  of  being  robbed.  He  lay  on  his  bed 
in  the  day  time,  and  sat  up  at  night  without  any  fire,  al- 
ways burning  a  lamp.  A  few  evenings  before  his  death, 
he  told  her,  that  many  persons  wanted  to  finger  his 
cash,  but  they  should  not.  He  then  desired  her  to  lock 
him  in,  and  take  the  key  with  her,  which  she  did  ;  but 
on  going  again  next  day,  she  found  him  lying  on  his  bed, 
with  his  clothes  on,  quite  dead.  He  was  in  the  prac- 
tice of  carrying  large  sums  of  money,  and  sewing  them 
up  in  different  parts  of  his  clothes,  for  which  reason  he 
never  pulled  them  oflf.  Upwards  of  £100  was  found 
upon  him  at  the  time  of  his  death  ; — on  the  night  pre- 
vious to  which  he  sent  for  one  oyster,  half  a  pint  of 
beer,  and  a  pennyworth  of  figs,  which  he  ate.  Such 
is  the  wretchedness  and  degradation  to  which  covet- 
ousness  reduces  those  miserable  beings  who  live  under 
its  influence.  Such  examples  form  a  striking  comment- 
ary on  the  words  of  Solomon : — "  There  is  a  sore  evil, 
which  I  have  seen  under  the  sun  ;  riches  kept  by  the 
owners  thereof  to  their  hurt,  and  those  riches  perish  by 
evil  travail.  As  he  came  forth  of  his  mother's  womb, 
naked  shall  he  return,  to  go  as  he  came,  and  shall  take 
nothing  of  his  labor  which  he  may  carry  away  in  his 
hand.  All  his  days  also  he  eateth  in  darkness,  *  or 
wretchedness,'  and  hath  much  sorrow  and  wrath  with 
his  sickness"  under  the  curse  and  displeasure  of  God. 


OP    COVETOUSNESS.  51 

Numerous  examples  of  this  kind  might  be  brought 
forward ;  but  I  shall  adduce  only  the  following,  well 
authenticated  instance,  in  relation  to  John  Elwes,  Esq., 
w^ho  was  for  some  time  a  member  of  parliament  for 
Berkshire. 

The  father  of  this  gentleman  was  a  brewer,  of  great 
eminence,  but  his  mother,  though  she  was  left  nearly 
£100,000  by  her  husband,  literally  starved  herself  to 
death.  About  the  age  of  40,  Mr.  Elwes  succeeded  to 
the  property  of  his  uncle  which  amounted  to  no  less  than 
£250,000.  Yet  this  wretched  man,  notwithstanding 
his  immense  wealth,  denied  himself  of  almost  every 
comfort,  in  order  to  increase  his  store.  He  would 
walk  home  in  the  rain  in  London,  rather  than  pay  a 
shilling  for  a  coach  ;  he  would  sit  in  wet  clothes  soon- 
er than  have  fire  to  dry  them  ;  he  would  eat  his  pro- 
visions in  the  last  stage  of  putrefaction,  sooner  than 
have  a  fresh  joint  from  the  butchers ;  and  he  wore  a 
wig  for  a  certain  time,  w^hich  his  biographer  saw  him 
pick  up  out  of  a  rut  in  a  lane  where  they  were  riding ; 
which  had  all  the  appearance  of  the  cast  off  wig  of  some 
beggar.  When  setting  out  on  a  journey,  his  first  care 
was  to  put  two  or  three  eggs,  boiled  hard,  into  his  great 
coat  pocket,  or  any  scraps  of  bread  wdiich  he  found  ; 
then  mounting  his  horse,  his  next  attention  was  to  get 
out  of  London  into  that  road  where  turnpikes  w^ere  the 
fewest ;  then  stopping  under  any  hedge  whose  grass 
presented  stuff  for  his  horse,  and  a  little  water  for  him- 
self, he  would  sit  down  and  refresh  himself  and  his 
horse  together,  without  ever  once  stopping  on  the  road 
at  any  house.  Two  of  his  residences  he  chiefly  visited 
were,  Marcham  in  Suffolk,  and  another  in  Berkshire. 
Marcham  was  the  place  he  most  frequently  visited  as 
he  advanced  in  life ;  for  this  reason,  that  the  journey  in- 
to Suffolk  cost  him  only  two  pence  half  penny,  while 
that  into  Berkshire  amounted  to  four  pence.  To  save 
fire  he  would  walk  about  the  remains  of  an  old  green 
house,  or  sit  with  a  sei-vant  in  the  kitchen.  During  the 
harvest,  he  would  go  into  the  fields  to  glean  the  corn  on 
the  grounds  of  his  own  tenants,  and  they  used  to  leave  a 
httle  more  than  common,  to  please  the  old  gentleman, 


52  ON    THE    EFFECTS 

who  was  as  eager  after  it  as  any  pauper  in  the  parish. 
In  the  advance  of  the  season,  his  morning  employment 
was  to  pick  up  any  stray  chips,  bones,  or  other  things, 
to  carry  to  the  fire  in  his  pocket ;  and  he  was  one  day 
surprised  by  a  neighboring  gentleman,  in  the  act  of  pul- 
ling down,  with  some  difficulty,  a  crow's  nest,  for  this 
purpose.  On  the  gentleman  wondering  how  he  would 
give  himself  this  trouble,  "Oh!  sir,"  he  replied  "it  is 
really  a  shame  that  these  creatures  should  do  so.  Do 
but  see  what  waste  they  make — they  dont  care  how 
extravagant  they  are." 

As  he  approached  to  the  close  of  life,  his  avaricious 
disposition  increased,  and  his  penurious  habits  became 
still  more  inveterate.  He  used  still  to  ride  about  the 
country  on  one  of  his  mares,  but  he  rode  her  on  the  soft 
turf,  adjoining  the  road^  to  save  the  expense  of  shoes, 
as  he  observed,  "  the  turf  is  very  pleasant  for  a  horse's 
foot."  When  any  gentleman  called  to  pay  him  a  visit, 
and  the  stable  boy  was  profuse  enough  to  put  a  little 
hay  before  the  horse,  old  Elwes  would  slily  steal  back 
into  the  stable,  and  take  the  hay  very  carefully  away. 
He  would  continue  to  eat  game  in  the  last  state  of  pu- 
trefaction, and  meat  that  walked  about  his  plate,  rather 
than  have  new  things  killed  before  the  old  provision 
was  finished — a  species  of  provisions  not  altogether 
unsuitable  to  so  degraded  a  mind.  During  this  period, 
he  one  day  dined  upon  the  remaining  part  of  a  moor- 
hen, which  had  been  brought  out  of  the  river  by  a  rat ; 
and  soon  after  ate  an  undigested  part  of  a  pike,  which 
a  larger  one  had  swallowed,  but  had  not  finished,  and 
which  were  taken  in  this  state  in  a  net — remarking  to 
a  friend  with  a  kind  of  satisfaction,  "  Aye  !  this  is  kill- 
ing two  birds  with  one  stone."  It  is  supposed  that  if 
his  manors  and  some  grounds  in  his  own  hands,  had 
not  furnished  a  subsistence,  where  he  had  not  any  thing 
actually  to  buy,  he  would  have  suflfered  himself  to  have 
stai*ved  rather  than  have  bought  any  thing  with  money. 
His  dress  was  in  unison  with  his  mode  of  living.  He  would 
walk  about  in  a  tattered  brown-colored  hat,  and  some- 
times in  a  red  and  white  colored  cap,  like  a  prisoner 
confined  for  debt.    His  shoes  he  would  never  suffer  to 


OP   COVETOUSNESS.  53 

be  cleaned,  lest  they  should  be  worn  out  the  sooner,  but 
still,  with  all  this  self-denial^  he  thought  he  was  too  pro- 
fuse, and  would  frequently  say,  "  he  must  be  a  little 
more  careful  of  his  property."  His  disquietude  on  the 
subject  of  money  was  now  continual.  When  he  went 
to  bed,  he  would  put  five  or  six  guineas  into  a  bureau, 
and  then  feel  of  his  money,  after  he  had  retired  to  rest, 
and  sometimes  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  he  would 
come  down  to  see  if  it  was  there.  Money  was  now 
his  only  thought ;  he  rose  upon  money — upon  money 
lay  down  to  rest.  He  would  carefully  wrap  up  a  few 
guineas,  in  various  papers,  and  deposit  them  in  difl^erent 
corners,  and  then  run  from  one  to  the  other,  to  see 
whether  they  were  all  safe  ;  then  forgetting  where  he 
had  concealed  some  of  them,  he  would  become  as  seri- 
ously afflicted  as  a  man  might  be  who  had  lost  all  his 
property.  During  the  last  winter  of  his  life,  he  would 
frequently  be  heard  at  midnight,  as  if  struggling  with 
some  one  in  his  chamber,  and  crying  out,  "  I  will  keep 
my  money  ;  I  will ;  no  body  shall  rob  me  of  my  prop- 
erty." At  length,  on  the  26th  November,  1789,  expi- 
red this  miserably  rich  man,  while  absorbed  in  his  ava- 
ricious propensities,  leaving  to  the  world  a  most  striking 
and  melancholy  example  of  the  miserable  and  debasing 
effects  of  covetousness.  At  his  death,  his  property 
amounted  to  above  eight  hundred  thousand  pounds^ 
which  were  soon  dispersed  throughout  all  parts  of  Eng- 
land.* 

Such  examples  may  be  considered  as  intended  by 
Divine  Providence  to  show  us  the  wretched  and  degra- 
ded condition  to  which  avarice  reduces  the  soul  of  man, 
and  to  serve  as  beacons  to  guard  us  against  the  influ- 
ence of  this  debasing  and  soul-ruining  propensity.  For 
it  is  impossible  for  a  soul  thus  absorbed  in  the  accumu- 
lation of  money  to  love  its  Creator  or  its  fellow  crea- 
tures, or  to  submit  to  the  requisitions  of  the  gospel ; 
and  consequently  it  must  be  altogether  unfit  for  enga- 
ging in  the  sublime  exercises  of  the  heavenly  world, 
and  for  relishing  the  enjoyments  of  that  "inheritance 

*  Selected  from  Topham's  "  Life  of  John  Elwes,  Esq." 
5* 


54  ON    THE    EFFECTS 

which  is  incorruptible  and  that  fadeth  not  away." 
The  service  of  God  and  Mammon  are  absolutely  irre- 
concilable ;  and  the  man  who  devotes  himself  to  the 
latter — by  his  own  act,  renders  himself  unfit  for  being 
a  partaker  of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light.  Than 
such  a  man  there  can  scarcely  be  presented  a  more 
pitiable  picture  of  human  depravity  and  degradation. 
An  immortal  mind  grovelling  in  the  dust,  and  having 
for  its  highest  aim  to  heap  up  treasures  which  are  never 
to  be  enjoyed  !  and  despising  those  incorruptible  riches 
which  shall  endure  forever !  what  folly  can  be  compar- 
ed to  the  conduct  of  such  an  infatuated  mortal  1 

"  Oh,  cursed  lust  of  Gold  !  when  for  thy  sake 
The  fool  throws  up  his  interest  in  both  worlds ; 
Fh-st  starved  in  this,  tlien  damned  in  that  to  come." 

Who  that  ever  tasted  the  pleasures  of  knowledge^ 
or  felt  the  sweets  of  beneficence,  or  the  comforts  of 
religion,  can  but  pity  the  poor  wretch  whose  soul  is 
chained  to  earthly  treasures,  and  tortured  on  the  rack 
of  avarice  ?  And,  let  it  be  remembered,  that  although 
the  examples  related  above  are  extreme  cases,  yet  the 
principle  of  covetousnessisthe  same  in  every  individual 
in  whose  heart  it  predominates,  and  it  is  owing  only 
to  certain  restraining  circumstances,  that  it  does  not 
carry  them  to  the  same  stage  of  misery  and  degrada- 
tion, as  in  the  instances  I  have  now  related.  Let  this 
depraved  principle  be  let  loose  to  operate  without  con- 
trol, and  it  is  impossible  to  depict  the  miseries  and  deg- 
radations of  human  character  that  would  follow  in  its 
train.  The  world  would  soon  become  an  immense 
aceldama,  and  its  inhabitants  a  society  of  fiends,  fit  only 
to  be  the  companions  of  the  prince  of  darkness,  and 
his  infernal  legions.  ..--T"       — 

2.  Another  way  in  which  Covetousness  operates,  even 
among  professed  Christians  is,  in  gratifying  a  desire 
for  ostentatious  display,  and  a  spirit  of  pride  and  ambi- 
tion. 

The  Creator  evidently  intended  that  his  creatures 
should  be   suitably   clothed  and  accommodated  with 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  55 

comfortable  habitations ;    for  he  has  replenished  the 
earth  with  every  thing  requisite  for  those  purposes ; 
and  were  proper  arrangements  made  in  the  social  state, 
and  benevolence  as  frequently  displayed  as  the  princi- 
ple of  avarice — all  the   ranks   of  mankind  would  be 
comfortably  clothed,  and  conveniently  accommodated. 
A   spirit  of  covetousness  is  not  necessarily  connected 
with  a  desire  after  decent  apparel  and   comfortable 
dwellings,  nor  with  those  exertions  which  are  requisite 
to  procure  them.   But  when  I  behold  a  professed  Christ- 
ian decking  himself  and  family  with  gaudy  attire,  re- 
plenishing his  dwelling  with  the  most  expensive  furni- 
ture, erecting  a  huge  mansion,  superior  to  those  of  all 
his  neighbors,  and  sufficient  to  accommodate  three  or 
four  families — contenting  himself  at   the   same   time 
with  subscribing  half  a  guinea  a  year  for  a  religious  or 
philanthropic  institution,  and  so  eagerly  engaged  in  the 
pursuit  of  wealth,  that  time  is  scarcely  left  for  mental 
improvement  or  fV.mily  religion — I  cannot  help  drawing 
the  conclusion,  that  covetousness  is  a  principle  which 
rules  in  such  a  mind  for  the  purpose  of  fostering  a  spirit 
of  vanity  and  pride,  and  a  desire  for  worldly  ostenta- 
tion and  parade.     1  have  seen  in  the  house  of  a  profes- 
sor of  religion,  whose  income  did  not  exceed  £150  a 
year,  an  article  of  furniture,  of  no  great  utility  which 
cost  twenty  or  thirty  guineas,  while  a  sixth  part  of  this 
sum  would  have  been  sufficient  to  have  procured  a  neat 
article  to  have  answered  every  purpose  for  which  it 
was  intended.     Yet  if  the  individual  had  been  urged  to 
subscribe  a  guinea  for  a  benevolent  institution,  it  would 
have  been  refused  as  a  most  extravagant  demand.     I 
have  seen  a  single  flat  of  a  house  furnished,  at  an  ex- 
pense of  seven  or  eight  hundred  guineas,  v/here  there 
was  scarcely  a  family  to  occupy  it,  and  where  the  pro- 
prietor, in  all  probability,never  gave  the  tenth  part  of 
this  sum  to  the  purposes  of  religion  or  human  improve- 
ment.   Without  calling  in  question  the  right  of  those  to 
whom  God  hath  given  wealth  and  riches,  to  adorn  their 
mansions   with   splendid  furniture   or   decorations,   it 
may  still  be  proper  to  enquire,  if  the  paltry  sum  generally 
given  by  many  such  persons  for  the  purposes  of  philan- 
thropy, be  at  all  proportionable  to  the  expenses  incurred 


56  ON    THE    EFFECTS 

in  procuring  such  costly  articles  and  decorations.  Is 
it  the  part  of  a  Christian  man  to  be  so  liberal  and  even 
extravagant  in  his  external  trappings,  while  he  can 
scarcely  be  induced  to  put  his  hand  into  his  pocket  to 
supply  the  means  of  propagating  the  gospel  through 
the  world, — and  while  the  one  half  of  his  superfluities 
would  be  hailed  as  a  precious  boon  for  this  purpose  ? 
To  such  persons  we  might  apply  the  words  of  the  proph- 
et Haggai,  "  Is  it  time  for  you,  O  ye,"  fashionable 
Christians,  "  to  dwell  in  your  decorated  houses,  and  this 
house  of  the  Lord  lie  waste.  Therefore,  thus  saith  the 
Lord  of  Hosts,  Consider  your  ways.  Ye  have  sown 
much  and  bring  in  little  ;  ye  eat,  but  ye  have  not  enough ; 
ye  drink,  but  ye  are  not  filled  with  drink  ;  ye  clothe 
you,  but  there  is  no  warm  ;  and  he  that  earneth  wages, 
carneth  wages  to  put  them  in  a  bag  full  of  holes."  In 
the  course  of  his  providence,  God  frequently  causes 
such  persons  to  behold  their  sin  in  their  punishment,  by 
blasting  their  hopes  of  worldly  gain,  and  sweeping 
away  their  treasures  by  unforeseen  accidents  and  ad- 
verse dispensations.  Such  was  the  case  in  the  days  of 
Haggai,  when  the  people  refused  to  exert  themselves  in 
rebuilding  the  temple.  "  Ye  looked  for  much,  and  lo. 
it  came  to  little  ;  and,  when  ye  brought  it  home,  I  did 
blow  upon  it.  Why?  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts; 
because  of  mine  house  which  is  waste  ;  and  ye  run 
every  man  unto  his  own  house."  With  how  much  pro- 
priety may  such  declarations  be  applied  to  many  reli- 
gionists in  our  times,  when  there  are  so  many  urgent 
calls  to  arise  and  build  the  New  Testament  Church, 
and  extend  its  boundaries — and  who  yet  run  every  one 
to  his  "  decorated  houses,"  to  indulge  in  ease  and  luxu- 
ry, while  the  extension  of  the  house  of  God  and  the  rep- 
aration of  its  desolations  require  their  most  vigorous 
exertions?  The  money  which  is  wasted  in  unnecessa- 
ly  decorations,  in  regard  to  dress  and  furniture,  and 
other  superfluities,  even  by  Christians — were  it  col- 
lected into  one  sum,  would  amount  to  far  more  than 
the  whole  of  the  funds  belonging  to  all  the  Religious 
and  Philanthropic  institutions  of  the  British  Empire, 
and  may  be  considered  as  nothing  less  than  a  robbery 
of  the  Most  High  of  his  "  titles  and  oflTerings." 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  57 

3.  Covetousness  manifests  itself  under  pretence  of 
providing  suitable  portions  for  children. 

This  is  a  very  common  apology  for  the  keen  prose- 
cution of  wealth,  and  the  anxious  care  which  is  exer- 
cised in  securing  it.  In  most  instances,  however,  it  is 
nothing  more  than  a  cloak  to  cover  the  vile  principle  of 
covetousness,  when  it  is  beginning  to  sway  its  sceptre 
over  the  mind.  But,  supposing  a  regard  for  the  tem- 
poral interests  of  children  to  mingle  itself  with  a  covet- 
ous affection,  the  practice  of  laying  up  fortunes  for 
children,  so  as  to  make  them  independent,  is  both  inju- 
dicious, and  immoral  in  its  general  tendency.  Every 
parent  ought  to  give  his  children  a  good  education,  so 
far  as  in  his  power,  and  above  all  things,  "  train  them 
up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord."  So 
far  as  his  circumstances  permit,  he  should  indulge  them 
in  every  innocent  enjoyment ;  and  when  they  are  be- 
ginning business  of  setting  up  in  life,  he  may  afford 
them  as  much  money  as  he  can  spare  for  enabling  them 
to  conduct,  with  success,  the  professions  or  employ- 
ments in  which  they  engage.  This  is  nearly  all  that  a 
Christian  parent  should  be  anxious  to  accomplish,  in 
reference  to  the  temporal  condition  of  his  children. 
For,  when  a  young  man  has  received  an  education 
suitable  to  his  station,  and  adequate  allowance  for  the 
commencement  and  prosecution  of  his  business,  and  is, 
at  the  same  time,  given  to  understand  that  the  whole  of 
his  future  happiness  and  success  in  life  will  depend  upon 
his  own  prudence,  exertions  and  moral  conduct, — he 
will  more  readily  apply  the  powers  of  his  mind  to  his 
profession,  and  attend  to  the  dictates  of  prudence,  than 
if  he  had  a  constant  dependence  on  the  wealth  and 
support  of  his  parents,  whatever  conduct  he  might  pur- 
sue. Every  young  person  should  be  taught  that  he  has 
a  certain  part  to  act  in  the  world,  for  which  he  is  ac- 
countable to  the  Great  Lord  of  all — that  his  happiness 
or  misery  in  this  world,  (under  God)  is  dependent  up- 
on himself  and  the  course  he  pursues — that  he  ought 
not  to  live  merely  for  the  gratification  of  his  own  hu- 
mor or  pleasure,  but  for  the  good  of  mankind — and 


58  ON  THE  EFFECTS 

that  there  are  certain  physical  and  moral  laws  which 
he  can  never  violate  without  feeling  a  corresponding 
punishment.  \,.  V- 

But,  if  a  parent  act  on  a  different  principle ;  if  he 
indulge  his  covetous  disposition  for  the  purpose  of  en- 
riching his  children,  and  give  them  reason  to  expect 
that  they  shall  inherit  wealth  and  independency,  when 
he  shall  have  left  the  world,  the  worst  consequences 
may  ensue,  both  to  himself  and  to  his  offspring.  When 
children  begin  to  discover  that  the  penurious  disposi- 
tion of  theu'  parents  is  a  mean  cringing  vice,  they  will 
be  led  to  conclude  that  extravagance  is  a  virtue,  and 
thus  a  broad  path  will  be  opened  for  licentious  conduct 
in  the  future  part  of  their  lives.  They  are  trained  up 
in  the  idea,  that  their  parents  are  accumulating  a  mass 
of  wealth,  which  they  are  destined  one  day  to  spend, 
and  they  live  under  restraints  and  privations,  which 
they  hope  the  death  of  their  parents  will  soon  remove. 
The  children  of  very  covetous  parents  are  frequently 
found  in  this  situation.  The  old  men  die,  and  we  im- 
mediately behold  the  children  entering  on  the  career  of 
gaiety  and  licentiousness,  and  running  headlong  to  pov- 
erty and  destruction ;  and,  instead  of  feeling  grateful 
to  their  parent  for  the  riches  he  accumulated,  can 
scarcely  conceal  their  joy,  that  they  are  removed  from 
under  his  restraints.  The  moment  of  his  death,  is  the 
signal  for  the  plunder  of  his  penurious  savings.  "I 
never  knew  the  son  of  a  miser,"  says  a  certain  writer, 
"  either  feeling  or  expressing  the  least  gratitude  for  the 
means  which  his  father  had  employed  to  amass  his  for- 
tune. The  heir  of  this  kind  of  wealth  receives  it  as  a 
debt  which  has  been  long  due,  and  which  has  been  re- 
covered by  a  vexatious  law-plea.  He  may  dispute  the 
sum,  but  he  will  not  esteem  the  person  who  has  pre- 
vented him  from  enjoying  it."  Many  examples,  were 
it  expedient,  might  be  produced  to  illustrate  the  fact, 
that  the  riches  of  the  covetous  man,  after  his  death, 
"  make  themselves  wings  and  fly  away,"  and  that  those 
to  whom  they  were  left,  too  frequently  "  fall  into  snares 
and  drown  themselves  in  destruction  and  perdition." 

It  is  truly  astonishing,  that  so  many  individuals  are 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  59 

to  be  found,  whose  faculties  are  unimpaired,  who  ap- 
pear in  other  respects,  men  of  sense,  and  profess  a  de- 
cent respect  for  the  ordinances  of  religion  ;  and  yet  al- 
low the  love  of  money,  and  the  absurd  desire  of  heap- 
ing up  useless  wealth,  to  triumph  over  every  rational 
and  religious  principle.  When  we  speak  to  them  on 
the  subject,  they  attempt  to  silence  every  argument  by 
expatiating  on  the  necessity  of  providing  for  their  chil- 
dren ;  as  if  they  w^ished  to  prove,  that  money  is  a  better 
provision  than  training  them  in  intelligence,  and  in 
moral  and  religious  habits,  and  in  rendering  them  meet 
to  be  heirs  of  a  blessed  immortality.  Now%  even  in  a 
temporal  point  of  view,  nothing  can  be  more  injurious 
to  a  young  man,  than  to  leave  him  such  a  portion  of 
weahh  as  will  render  him,  in  the  language  of  the  world, 
independent,  especially  if  he  have  little  relish  for  ra- 
tional and  religious  pursuits.  He  has  no  stimulus  for 
cultivating  his  intellectual  and  moral  powers  ;  his  time 
frequently  lies  heavy  on  his  hands  ;  to  promote  the 
physical  or  moral  comfort  of  others,  forms  no  part  of 
his  plan ;  his  faculties  become  benumbed  ;  he  becomes 
a  prey  to  the  crafty  and  licentious ;  he  w^anders  about 
from  one  place  to  another,  and  from  one  pleasure  to 
another,  without  any  defined  object  in  view,  but  the 
gratification  of  his  humors  ;  he  feels,  on  the  w  hole,  but 
little  enjoyment ;  for  this  is  only  to  be  found  in  men- 
tal and  bodily  activity ;  he  gives  up  himself  at  length  to 
licentious  habits  and  sensual  indulgencies  ;  his  resour- 
ces begin  to  be  diminished,  he  feels  pecuniary  embar- 
rassments; his  pleasures  are  interrupted,  and  his  mis- 
eries increase ;  and  thus  he  passes  through  life  in  a 
fretful  humor,  without  rational  enjoyment,  and  without 
contributing  to  the  good  of  others.  Such  is  too  fre- 
quently the  case  w^ith  the  children  of  those  who  have 
worn  themselves  out  in  avaricious  activity,  and  depri- 
ved themselves  of  almost  every  comfort,  in  order  to  lay 
up  an  inheritance  for  their  offspring. 

Every  young  man,  even  the  son  of  a  nobleman,  should 
be  taught  that  he  is  placed  in  a  scene  of  action,  as  well 
as  of  enjoyment ;  that,  to  contribute  to  the  good  of  so- 
ciety, ought  to  be  one  main  object  of  his  life ;  and,  that 


60  ON    THE    EFFECTS 

although  he  may  not  need  to  earn  his  subsistence  by 
the  labor  either  of  his  hands  or  of  his  mind — he  ought 
to  engage  in  some  honorable  pursuit,  which  may  tend 
to  promote  his  own  happiness,  the  improvement  of  so- 
ciety, and  the  glory  of  his  Maker.  Even  the  sons  of 
the  most  opulent,  ought  not  to  consider  it  as  a  degra- 
dation to  learn  a  mechanical  employment,  and  to  £^ply 
their  corporeal  powers,  occasionally,  to  useful  indus- 
try. Among  many  other  advantages,  it  might  tend  to 
strengthen  their  animal  system,  to  invigorate  their 
minds,  and  to  enable  them  to  form  a  judicious  estimate 
of  the  value  of  mechanical  inventions,  and  of  the  em- 
ployments and  intercourses  of  general  society.  And 
their  earnings  might  become  a  source  of  wealth  for 
carrying  forward  improvements,  and  adding  spirit  and 
vigor  to  every  philanthropic  movement.  With  regard 
to  the  female  members  of  a  family ;  if  a  parent  have 
any  wealth  or  inheritance  to  leave,  the  greater  part 
should  be  bestowed  on  them ;  as  they  are  neither  so 
well  adapted  by  Nature  for  active  labor,  nor  have  the 
same  opportunities  as  the  male  branches,  for  engaging 
in  business  and  increasing  their  store.  Yet,  even  the 
female  sex,  in  the  higher  ranks,  ought  not  to  consider 
themselves  as  exempted  from  any  labors  to  which  they 
are  competent,  and  in  which  they  may  promote  the 
best  interests  of  mankind.  In  short,  it  may  be  laid 
dow^n  as  a  kind  of  maxim ;  that  a  great  fortune  be- 
stowed upon  a  young  man  is  one  of  the  greatest  evils 
that  can  befal  him,  unless  he  make  it  one  of  his  great 
objects  to  devote  a  considerable  portion  of  it  to  the 
good  of  society ;  and,  that  labor,  both  of  body  and 
mind,  is  essential  to  the  true  happiness  of  man. 

4.  Covetousness  displays  itself  on  an  extensive  scale, 
and  in  an  innumerable  variety  of  modes — in  the  vari- 
ous mercantile  transactions  of  mankind. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  all  the  variety  of 
manoeuvres  by  which  covetousness  is,  in  this  way,  dis- 
played, even  by  multitudes  who  consider  themselves  as 
followers  of  Christ ;  and,  therefore,  I  shall  only  glance 


OP   COVETOUSNESS.  61 

at  some  of  the  nefarious  means  which  are  frequently 
employed.  Among  other  well-known  practices,  are 
the  following ;  varnishing  over  deteriorated  articles 
with  a  fair  outside,  in  order  to  deceive  the  purchaser, 
and  to  prevent  the  real  state  of  the  commodity  from 
being  perceived.  Hence,  a  pound  of  butter  has  fre- 
quently been  found  with  a  quantity  of  Scotch  porridge 
in  its  interior;  milk  mixed  with  chalk  and  water;  sugar 
mixed  with  white  sand ;  the  under  part  of  a  chest  of 
tea  of  an  inferior  quality  to  that  of  the  top ;  and  many 
such  frauds  and  deceptions,  best  known  to  the  nefari- 
ous trader.  Other  practices  are,  taking  advantage  of 
ignorance  to  pass  off  an  unsaleable  commodity,  and 
asking  more  than  the  just  value  of  whatever  is  offered 
for  sale ;  in  a  merchant  denying  the  goods  which  he 
has  in  his  possession,  when  there  is  the  prospect  of  an 
advancing  price  ;  in  his  overcharging  fur  the  articles  of 
which  he  is  disposing,  and  undervaluing  those  he  in- 
tends to  purchase ;  in  using  light  weights  and  deficient 
measures,  when  there  is  little  prospect  of  their  being 
detected ;  in  the  jealousies,  slanders,  and  evil  surmis- 
ings  which  one  trader  harbors,  and  endeavors  slily  to 
throw  out  against  another ;  in  their  attempts  to  extol 
their  own  articles  beyond  their  just  value,  and  to  de- 
preciate the  characters  and  the  commodities  of  their 
neighbors ;  in  their  engaging  in  smvggling  and  other 
unchristian  modes  of  traiiick ;  in  taking  advantage  of 
the  necessities  of  the  poor  and  unfortunate,  in  order  to 
procure  their  goods  at  half  their  value  ;  in  selling  spir- 
itous  liquors  to  the  worthless  and  dissipated,  whether 
men,  women  or  children,  to  swell  the  list  of  "  trans- 
gressors among  men,"  merely  for  the  sake  of  the  paltry 
profit  of  such  a  traffick  ;  in  trafficking  in  wind-bills,  bri- 
bing the  officers  of  justice  for  the  liberty  of  continuing 
a  nefarious  trade,  and  in  a  thousand  other  modes  which 
the  fraudulent  dealer  alone  is  best  qualified  to  describe. 
In  all  such  transactions,  not  only  is  covetousness  dis- 
played, but  a  principle  o{  falsehood  runs  through  all 
his  mercantile  negotiations,  so  that  every  fraudulent 
trader  is  of  necessity  a  systematic  liar. 

I  have  known  high-flying  professors  of  religion,  guil- 
6 


62  ON    THE    EFFECTS 

ty  of  most  of  the  frauds  to  which  I  now  allude.  I 
have  known  a  merchant,  an  office-bearer  in  a  Christian 
church,  who,  by  a  dextrous  mode  of  measuring  his 
cloth,  kept  off  nearly  an  inch  from  every  yard,  and  who 
charged  a  higher  price  for  his  commodities  than  any  of 
his  neighbors  ;  another  of  the  same  pretensions,  who 
seemed  to  consider  himself  as  holier  than  others,  who 
possessed  a  considerable  quantity  of  wealth  along  with 
a  good  business,  and  who  could,  notwithstanding,  de- 
grade himself  and  gratify  his  avarice,  by  selling  drams 
and  gills  of  whisky  and  gin  over  his  counter,  to  dissi- 
pated women,  and  all  others  who  chose  to  be  his  cus- 
tomers. I  have  seen  such  practices  in  the  shop  even 
of  the  mayor  of  a  large  town,  who  was  also  a  distin- 
guished member  of  the  church.  I  have  known  others 
of  similar  religious  pretensions,  who  have  engaged  in 
smuggling  spiritous  liquors,  paper,  teas,  and  other  com- 
modities, who  have  even  forged  excise  stamps,  and 
who  seemed  to  consider  such  practices  as  nowise  in- 
consistent with  the  principles  of  Christianity.  I  have 
known  such  whose  weights  and  measures  were  defi- 
cient, whose  quartern  loaves  were  from  five  to  ten 
ounces  below  the  just  standard,  and  whose  butter, 
when  exposed  to  sale  in  the  public  market,  has  been 
frequently  seized  by  police  officers,  on  account  of  its 
deficiency  in  weight.  I  have  seen  the  confidence  of 
their  brethren  in  this  way  grossly  abused  by  their  as- 
sumed character  of  piety  and  rectitude,  and  have  been 
sometimes  tempted  to  suspect  the  honor  and  honesty 
of  every  one  who  made  high  pretensions  to  sanctity 
and  evangelical  religion.  Yet  many  such  nefarious 
practices  are  overlooked  in  Christian  churches,  as 
scarcely  worthy  of  censure,  especially,  if  the  guilty  in- 
dividuals have  a  large  share  of  wealth,  and  regularly 
attend  the  public  ordinances  of  religion.  Were  it  ex- 
pedient in  the  present  case,  numerous  examples  of  the 
above  description  might  be  brought  forward. 

Another  way  in  which  merchants  display  their  cov- 
etous disposition  is,  hj  toiling  their  apprentices  and 
servants^  and  confining  them  for  so  many  long  hourSy 
that  their  health  is  injured^  and  their  intellectual  and 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  VS 

religious  improvement  prevented.  I  have  known  ap- 
prentices not  above  thirteen  years  of  age,  confined  in 
shops  from  seven  in  the  morning,  till  tv^^elve  at  mid- 
night, and  sometimes  to  an  early  hour  in  the  morning, 
and  having  scarcely  two  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four, 
allotted  them  for  meals  ;  and  that,  too,  by  merchants 
who  made  a  splendid  profession  of  piety,  and  w^ere 
considered  as  pillars  of  Dissenting. churches.  By  such 
conduct,  young  persons  are  not  only  deprived  of  that 
recreation  which  is  necessary  to  the  vigor  of  their  ani- 
mal system,  but  prevented  from  attending  the  means 
of  moral  and  religious  instruction,  and  from  storing 
their  minds  with  that  knowledge  w^hich  they  ought  to 
possess  as  rational  and  immortal  beings.  If,  in  the 
present  state  of  things,  merchants  and  others  require 
so  long  continued  drudgery  from  their  servants,  other 
arrangements  ought  to  be  made,  and  additional  ser- 
vants or  apprentices  procured,  so  that  a  moderate  and 
reasonable  service  only  should  be  required  from  them. 
But  such  arrangements  would  run  counter  to  the  prin- 
ciple of  avarice.  Similar  practices  have  long  been 
complained  of  in  regard  to  many  of  our  spinning  mills, 
and  other  public  manufactories,  and  yet  they  have  been 
defended  by  Christian  men,  as  if  the  laboring  classes 
were  to  be  considered  in  no  other  light  than  as  mere 
animal  machines,  or  as  beasts  of  burden.  Covetous- 
ness  likewise  displays  itself  in  keeping  open  shops  to 
late  hours,  and  thus  preventing  families,  servants,  shop- 
men, and  apprentices,  from  domestic  enjoyment,  and 
from  the  means  of  rational  improvement ;  and,  when 
measures  have  been  concerted  to  put  a  stop  to  this  evil, 
I  have  known  two  or  three  professed  Christians,  by 
their  obstinacy  and  avaricious  disposition,  disconcert 
every  plan  which  had  been  formed  for  this  purpose, 

5.  The  covetous  principle,  conjoined  with  glaring 
acts  of  inhumanity  and  injustice,  is  frequently  displayed 
in  cases  of  Bankruptcy. 

How  frequently  do  we  find  persons  establishing  an 
extensive  business  on  credit  when  they  have  no  funds 


64  ON    THE    EFFECTS 

of  their  own ;  using  wind-bills  and  sometimes  forger- 
ies ;  furnishing  elegant  houses  with  money  which  is  not 
their  own  ;  living  in  luxury  and  splendor;  dashing  along 
in  gigs  and  landaus  ;  entertaining  friends  with  sumptu- 
ous dinners,  and  indulging  in  all  the  fashionable  follies 
of  life,  till,  in  the  course  of  two  or  three  years,  they 
are  run  aground  and  declared  to  be  Bankrupts,  who 
can  scarcely  pay  a  dividend  of  three  shillings  a  pound. 
Previous  to  such  bankruptcies,  many  cases  of  fraud  and 
injustice  very  frequently  occur.  I  have  known  office- 
bearers in  Christian  churches,  distinguished  for  their 
high  pretensions  to  religion  and  piety,  who,  only  a  few 
days  previous  to  their  failure  in  business,  have  borrow- 
ed pretty  large  sums  of  money,  and  that,  too,  even  from 
an  industrious  mechanic,  who  was  induced,  by  deceit- 
ful words,  to  lend  the  whole  of  what  he  had  accumu- 
lated by  industry  and  economy,  during  a  course  of 
many  years, — scarcely  a  fraction  of  which  was  ever 
recovered.  In  such  ^ases,  we  not  unfrequently  behold 
selfishness  assuming^  vast  variety  of  forms;  practising 
low  cunning  and  dishonesty,  resorting  to  all  possible 
shifts  of  duplicity,  to  prolong  the  credit  of  a  tottering 
establishment ;  concealing  property  which  belonged  to 
others,  or  secretly  disposing  of  it  at  half  its  value  ;  deal- 
ing in  contraband  articles,  defrauding  government  of 
its  revenues,  deceiving  the  unwary,  weaving  a  web  of 
entanglement  throughout  every  department  of  the  mer- 
cantile concern,  gathering  up  payments  of  money  and 
merchandize  against  the  crisis  which  is  approaching, 
and  implicating  friends  and  acquaintances,  and  even 
the  poor  industrious  laborer  in  their  concerns,  and  in- 
volving them  in  the  impending  ruin.  If  such  were  the 
practices  merely  of  professed  worldly  men,  we  might 
cease  to  wonder.  But,  alas  !  such  wiles  and  shufflings 
and  dishonesties,  are  too  frequently  displayed  by  those 
who  profess  to  be  seeking  after  an  incorruptible  inher- 
itance. 

But,  the  exhibition  of  covetousness  and  dishonesty, 
does  not  end  at  the  period  of  bankruptcy.  After  a  le- 
gal settlement  has  been  obtained,  and  business  resum- 
ed, similar  exhibitions  are  repeated.     I  have  known 


OP   COVETOUSNESS.  65 

many  individuals,  belonging  both  to  the  established 
church  and  to  dissenters,  men  whose  professions  of  re- 
ligion were  ostentatious  and  glaring ;  who,  after  hav- 
ing become  bankrupts,  lived  as  luxuriously,  dressed  as 
gaily,  gave  their  children  as  fashionable  an  education, 
and  set  them  up  in  as  lucrative  professions,  as  if  no 
such  event  had  taken  place.  I  have  known  others  who, 
after  having  paid  six  or  seven  shillings  on  the  pound, 
and  been  permitted  to  resume  trade,  have,  in  the  course 
of  a  few  years,  purchased  heritable  property  to  a  con- 
siderable amount,  without  ever  thinking  of  restoring  to 
their  creditors  a  single  shilling  of  what  they  had  lost  by 
their  bankruptcy.  Because  they  obtained  a  settlement 
from  their  creditors,  and  therefore  are  not  legally  bound 
to  refund  their  loss,  therefore,  they  imagine  that  they 
are  under  no  moral  obligation  to  perform  such  an  act 
of  natural  justice.  The  cases  of  this  kind  which  daily 
occur,  are  so  numerous  and  striking,  that  it  would  be 
needless  to  condescend  to  particular  instances.  It  is 
little  short  of  a  libel  on  the  moral  perceptions  of  gen- 
eral society,  and  particularly  on  the  Christian  world, 
that  a  man  voluntarily  coming  forward  and  settling 
with  his  creditors,  when  he  is  not  legally  bound  to  do 
it,  should  be  considered  as  a  kind  oi phenomenon  in  the 
commercial  world,  and  worthy  of  being  published  in 
every  Newspaper,  when  it  is  nothing  more  than  what 
a  sense  of  natural  justice  would,  in  all  cases,  obviously 
dictate.  It  is  true,  indeed,  that  the  men  of  the  world 
seldom  consider  such  cases  as  I  have  alluded  to,  as  of 
a  criminal  nature ;  but  it  is  amazing  that  Christian 
churches  should  almost  entirely  overlook  such  displays 
of  covetousness  and  injustice,  and  inflict  no  censure  on 
the  offenders,  notwithstanding  the  malignant  and  anti- 
christian  dispositions  and  practices  with  which  they  are 
associated. 


6.  There  is  too  frequently  a  striking  display  of  cov- 
etousness in  the  case  of  many  of  the  ministers  of  reli- 
gion. 

Not  to  mention  the  buying  and  selling  of  benefices 
6* 


6Q  ON  THE  EFFECTS 

and  other  Simoniacal  practices,  which  have  long  abound- 
ed, and  which  have  tended  to  throw  disgrace  on  the 
sacred  office ;  there  are  many  other  ways  in  which 
worldly-mindedness  is  manifested  by  not  a  few  in  this 
class  of  Christian  society.  Although  I  wish  to  speak 
with  the  greatest  respect  of  the  ministers  of  the  church, 
on  account  of  the  sanctity  and  importance  of  the  sa- 
cred office,  for  w^hich  no  one  entertains  a  higher  ven- 
eration ;  yet  I  cannot  shut  my  eyes  to  the  many  ex- 
amples around  me,  which  prove,  that  not  a  few  Chris- 
tian ministers  are  too  much  actuated  and  directed  in 
their  movements,  by  a  worldly-minded  and  avaricious 
disposition.  This  propensity  is  displayed  in  aspirings 
wdth  the  utmost  keenness,  after  ecclesiastical  dignities 
and  preferments — not  for  the  sake  of  the  duties  con- 
nected with  such  situations,  nor  with  a  view  of  occu- 
pying a  field  of  more  extensive  usefulness  ;  but  for  in- 
creasing their  revenues,  and  living  in  opulence  and 
splendor.  The  general  conduct  of  many  to  whom  I 
allude,  their  neglect  of  the  flock  over  which  they  have 
been  made  overseers,  and  their  indulgence  in  the  fash- 
ionable pursuits  and  amusements  of  the  world,  too 
plainly  evince  the  ruling  disposition  of  their  hearts. 
Would  to  God  that  such  persons  would  consider  what 
views  they  will  have  of  such  things,  when  stretched 
upon  that  bed  from  which  they  are  to  rise  no  more, 
and  about  to  enter  the  confines  of  the  eternal  world  ! 
The  pious  Mr.  Hervey,  about  four  days  before  his 
death,  when  Dr.  Stonehouse  paid  him  a  visit,  and  was 
discoursing  on  the  emptiness  of  wordly  honors  to  an 
immortal,  and  on  the  unprofitableness  of  riches  to  the 
irreligious,  replied,  "  true.  Doctor,  true,  the  only  val- 
uable riches  are  in  heaven.  What  would  it  avail  me 
now,  to  be  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  !  Disease 
would  show  no  respect  to  my  mitre.  That  prelate  is 
not  only  very  great,  but  I  am  told,  he  has  religion  real- 
ly at  heart.  Yet  it  is  godliness  and  not  grandeur,  that 
w^ill  avail  him  hereafter.  The  gospel  is  offered  to  me,  a 
poor  country  parson,  the  same  as  to  his  Grace.  Oh  ! 
why  then  do  ministers  thus  neglect  the  charge  of  so 
kind  a  Saviour,  fawn  upon  the  great,  and  hunt  after 


OP    COVETOUSNESS.  67 

worldly  preferments,  with  so  much  eagerness  to  the 
disgrace  of  our  order  ?  These  are  the  things  which 
render  the  clergy  so  justly  contemptible  to  the  world- 
lings.  No  w^onder  the  service  of  our  church  has  be- 
come such  a  formal,  lifeless  thing,  since  it  is,  alas  !  too 
generally  executed  by  persons  dead  to  godliness  in  all 
their  conversation  ;  whose  indifference  to  religion,  and 
worldly-minded  behavior,  proclaim  the  httle  regard 
they  pay  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Lord,  who  bought 
them." 

The  same  covetous  propensity  is  indicated,  when  a 
minister  leaves  an  affectionate  people,  among  whom 
he  has  a  competent  support,  for  a  larger  and  more  op- 
ulent congregation,  where  his  income  will  be  consider- 
ably increased.  I  have  seldom  known  an  instance  in 
w^hich  a  minister  voluntarily  left  his  charge,  unless 
when  he  had  the  prospect  of  a  larger  stipend.  There 
are  doubtless,  valid  reasons  why  a  minister  of  the  gos- 
pel may,  with  propriety,  leave  his  charge  ;  but  if  he 
has  previously  been  in  moderately  comfortable  circum- 
stances, and  if  the  increase  of  income  be  the  chief  or 
only  motive  for  the  change,  there  is  too  much  reason 
to  suspect,  that  a  covetous  disposition  has  lurked  in  the 
breast,  and  has  influenced  his  decision.  Not  long  ago, 
a  dissenting  pastor  recived  a  call  from  a  congregation 
in  a  large  town  where  he  was  offered  a  larger  stipend 
than  he  had  previously  received.  He  was  generally 
beloved  by  his  people,  he  had  received  from  them 
handsome  presents,  as  testimonials  of  their  gratitude 
and  affection ;  he  received  from  them  an  income  ade- 
quate to  his  station,  and  to  the  supply  of  every  reason- 
able want ;  they  pressed  him  to  remain,  and  promised 
to  do  every  thing  that  might  promote  his  comfort. 
But,  for  no  other  reason,  apparently,  than  the  prospect 
of  about  £50  more  being  added  to  his  income,  he  part- 
ed with  them  almost  abruptly,  and  left  them  to  draw 
the  inference,  (which  they  did  not  hesitate  to  do,)  that 
he  had  more  regard  to  his  worldly  interests  than  to  su- 
perintend the  spiritual  interests  of  an  affectionate  peo- 
ple. I  am  much  mistaken  if  even  the  temporal  happi- 
ness of  such  a  person  shall  be  augmented  by  such  con- 


68  ON   THE    EFFECTS 

duct ;  and  if  God,  in  the  course  of  his  Providence,  does 
not  try  him  with  unexpected  difficulties,  and  make  him 
behold  his  sin  in  his  punishment. 

This  covetous  disposition  is  likew^ise  displayed  by 
ministers  of  the  gospel  when  they  take  large  farms  and 
engage  with  keenness  in  the  pursuits  of  agriculture,  and 
w^hen  they  embark  in  extensive  mercantile  concerns 
and  speculations,  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  their  for- 
tunes, and  enabling  them  to  live  in  splendor  and  afflu- 
ence. It  is  not  long  since  a  dissenting  minister  was  ad- 
vertised in  the  newspapers,  among  the  list  of  bank- 
rupts, as  "  the  Rev.  Mr.  H ,  Banker  and  Builder." 

And,  even  a  Doctor  of  Divinity,  who  enjoyed  a  hand- 
some stipend,  and  was  distinguished  as  a  popular 
preacher,  has  been  known  to  have  embarked,  with  ea- 
gerness in  mercantile  speculations,  connected  with  ship- 
ping affairs,  spinning  mills,  banking,  building,  and  other 
departments,  for  the  purpose  of  gratifying  a  worldly 
disposition,  and  enabling  him  to  leave  at  his  death,  sev- 
eral thousands  of  pounds  to  each  member  of  his  family. 
Another  of  the  same  description  has  been  known  to  en- 
gage in  extensive  agricultural  operations,  in  surveying 
and  superintending  roads  and  acting  as  factor  for  neigh- 
boring Squires,  in  order  to  hoard  up  worldly  treas- 
ures, although  his  stipend  was  one  of  the  largest  in  the 
country  around.  Indeed,  instances  of  this  description 
are  so  far  from  being  uncommon,  that  they  are  scarce- 
ly considered  as  inconsistent  with  the  sacred  office ; 
and  a  man,  under  the  influence  of  such  principles,  will 
pass  through  life  with  a  certain  degree  of  respect  from 
the  church  and  the  world,  as  if  he  had  acted  in  no  way 
inconsistent  with  the  character  of  a  Christian.  In  the 
case  of  such,  the  dutiesof  their  office  generally  form  on- 
ly a  subordinate  object  of  attention.  Another  way  in 
which  covetousness  sometimes  manifests  itself,  espe- 
cially in  the  case  of  dissenting  ministers,  is — their  con- 
cealing certain  important  truths  in  their  public  minis- 
trations, and  neglecting  to  apply  the  principles  and  pre- 
cepts of  Christianity  to  the  particular  cases  of  every 
class  of  gospel-hearers  without  respect  of  persons,  for 
fear  of  offending   certain  leading  individuals  of  the 


OP   COVETOUSNESS.  69 

church,  and  risking  the  loss  of  a  portion  of  emolument. 
It  is  likewise  manifested  in  winking  at  the  delinquencies 
of  men  of  wealth  and  influence,  in  cringing  to  such 
characters,  and  attempting  to  screen  them  from  cen- 
sure, when  their  conduct  demands  it.  In  all  such  cases 
as  those  to  which  I  allude,  the  conduct  of  a  Christian 
pastor  repuires  to  be  guided  by  wisdom  and  prudence. 
But  when  he  clearly  perceives  the  path  of  truth  and  du- 
ty, he  ought  at  once,  without  fear  of  consequences,  to 
act  on  the  principle  "  Fiat  Justitia  mat  cceliim."  Let 
what  is  accordant  whh  eternal  truth  and  righteousness 
be  performed,  although  the  mighty  should  rage,  the 
heavens  fall,  and  the  elements  rush  into  confusion. 

But,  in  general,  it  will  be  found,  that  he  who  prudent- 
ly discharges  his  duty,  trusting  for  support  in  the  Prov- 
idence of  God,  will  seldom  be  left  to  sink  under  his  dif- 
ficulties, or  to  want  the  means  of  comfortable  support. 
The  conduct  of  the  apostles,  in  such  cases,  should  be 
imitated  by  every  Christian  minister.  When  Peter  was 
brought  before  the  Jewish  rulers  to  account  for  his  con- 
duct in  healing  the  impotent  man,  and  preaching  the 
resurrection  of  Jesus,  he  boldly  declared,  "  Be  it  known 
to  you  all,  that  by  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Naza- 
reth, whom  ye  crucified,  whom  God  raised  from  the 
dead,  even  bj/  him  doth  this  man  stand  before  you  whole. 
This  is  the  stone  that  was  set  at  nought  oi"  you  builders, 
which  is  become  the  head  of  the  corner."  And  when 
he  w^as  commanded  to  teach  no  more  in  the  name  of 
Jesus,  he  replied,  with  the  same  fearlessness  of  conse- 
quences ;  "  Whether  it  be  right  in  the  sight  of  God  to 
hearken  unto  you  more  than  unto  God,  judge  ye.  For 
I  cannot  but  speak  the  things  which  I  have  seen  and 
heard."  And  Paul,  when  he  was  about  to  leave  the 
church  of  Ephesus,  could  declare  "  I  have  kept  back 
nothing  that  was  profitable  unto  you  ;  I  have  not  shun- 
ned to  declare  to  you  all  the  council  of  God  :  I  have 
coveted  no  man's  gold,  nor  silver,  nor  apparel,  for  these 
hands  have  ministered  to  my  necessities.  I  have  show- 
ed you  all  things,  how  that  so  laboring  ye  ought  to 
support  the  weak,  and  to  remember  the  words  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  how  he  said,  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than 


70  ON    THE    EFFECTS 

to  receive."  Were  all  Christian  ministers  animated  by 
the  spirit  which  actuated  these  holy  apostles,  we  should 
seldom  find  pastors  shrinking  from  their  duty,  from  the 
fear  of  man,  or  from  worldly  motives,  "  shunning  to  de- 
clare the  whole  counsel  of  God."  Much  less  should  we 
ever  behold  men  more  careful  to  fleece  their  flocks 
than  to  feed  them  with  knowledge — and  who  have  the 
eflfrontery  to  receive  many  hundreds,  and  even  thou- 
sands of  pounds  a  year,  as  christian  ministers  appoint- 
ed to  the  charge  of  souls,  while  yet  they  spend  their 
incomes  in  fashionable  dissipation  in  foreign  lands,  re- 
gardless of  the  spiritual  interests  of  those  precious  souls 
which  were  committed  to  their  care.  It  is  by  such 
conduct  in  the  clerical  order,  that  religion  and  its  ordi- 
nances are  despised  and  treated  with  contempt,  more 
than  by  all  the  efforts  of  avowed  and  unblushing  infi- 
delity ;  and  it  becomes  all  such  seriously  to  consider 
how  far  they  are  responsible  for  the  demoralization  of 
society,  the  prevalence  of  irreligion,  and  the  ruin  of  im- 
mortal souls  ;  and  what  account  they  will  one  day  be 
called  to  give  of  the  manner  in  which  they  discharged 
the  important  office  committed  to  their  trust. 

I  shall  now  adduce  a  few  miscellaneous  examples, 
illustrative  of  the  ascendency  of  the  covetous  principle 
in  those  who  made,  or  who  still  make  a  flaming  profes- 
sion of  religion. 

A  certain  member  of  a  dissenting  church,  who  had 
long  been  a  zealous  supporter  of  its  peculiar  modes  and 
tenets,  had,  in  the  course  of  his  business  as  a  carpen- 
ter, and  by  penurious  habits,  amassed  a  considerable 
portion  of  property,  but  was  remarked  to  be  of  a  hard 
and  griping  disposition,  and  could  seldom  be  induced  to 
contribute  to  any  religious  object.  He  had  a  brother, 
a  man  of  good  character,  and  a  member  of  the  same 
church,  who,  by  family  and  personal  distress,  had  been 
reduced  to  extreme  poverty.  Some  of  his  Christian 
brethren  represented  to  him  the  case  of  this  distressed 
brother,  and  urged  him  to  afford  the  family  a  little  pe- 
cuniary relief.  He  replied,  "  My  brother  little  knows 
how  diflicult  it  is  for  me  to  get  money  ;  1  have  nothing 


OF    COVETOU8NESS.  71 

that  I  can  spare.  Does  he  know  that  I  have  lately- 
bought  a  house,  and  have  the  price  of  it  to  pay  in  a  few 
days  ?" — and  he  peremptorily  refused  to  bestow  a  sin- 
gle shilling  upon  his  distressed  relative.  Yet  no  pubKc 
notice  was  taken  of  such  conduct  by  the  religious  soci- 
ety with  which  he  was  connected,  for,  unfortunately, 
such  cases  are  not  generally  considered  as  scandals, 
or  tests  of  the  want /)f  Christian  principle.  His  wife 
who  survived  him,  and  who  was  of  a  similar  disposi- 
tion, while  lying  on  her  death  bed,  kept  the  keys  of  her 
trunks  and  drawers  constantly  in  her  hands,  and  would, 
on  no  account,  part  with  them  to  any  individual,  un- 
less when  she  was  in  a  position  to  perceive  exactly  ev- 
ery thing  that  was  transacted  while  the  keys  were  us- 
ed, and  appeared  to  be  restless  and  uneasy  till  they 
were  returned.  The  idea  of  losing  a  single  sixpence, 
or  the  least  article,  seemed  to  go  like  a  dagger  to  her 
heart.  After  she  had  breathed  her  last,  a  bag,  con- 
taining bank  notes,  bills,  and  other  documents,  was  found 
in  her  hand,  which  she  had  carefully  concealed  from 
her  attendants,  as  if  she  had  expected  to  carry  it  along 
with  her  to  the  world  of  spirits.  Such  are  the  degra- 
ding and  awful  effects  of  covetousness,  when  suffered 
to  gain  the  ascendency  over  the  heart.  Can  such  a 
spirit  be  supposed  to  be  prepared  for  the  mansions  of 
the  just,  and  for  entering  into  that  inheritance  which 
is  incorruptible,  and  that  fadeth  not  away  ? 

The  following  is  another  example,  relating  to  a  lady 
in  comfortable  circumstances,  who  died  three  or  four 
years  ago.  This  lady  was  married  to  a  gentleman  who 
was  generally  respected  as  a  worthy  man  and  a  zealous 
Christian.  His  habits  were  somewhat  penurious  ;  and 
from  a  low  situation,  he  rose  by  various  means,  some  of 
which  were  scarcely  honorable,  to  a  state  of  wealth  and 
independence,  so  that,  about  12  years  before  his  death, 
he  was  enabled  to  retire  from  the  duties  of  his  ojfiice, 
to  live  in  a  state  of  respectability.  His  wife  was  like- 
wise a  professed  religious  character ;  she  had  no  chil- 
dren, and  her  great  anxiety  was  to  preserve,  if  possible, 
any  portion  of  her  husband's  property  from  passing  in- 
to the  hands  of  his  relations.     When  any  of  her  hus- 


72  ON   THE    EFFECTS 

band's  relatives  happened  to  live  with  them  for  the  sake 
of  sociahty  or  for  affording  them  assistance  in  their  old 
age,  she  denied  them  almost  every  comfort,  and  grum- 
bled at  the  least  article  they  received,  as  if  it  had  been 
a  portion  of  flesh  torn  from  her  body — till,  one  by  one, 
all  such  relatives  forsook  her.  After  her  husband's 
death,  the  same  penurious  habits  remained,  and,  as  is 
usually  the  case,  grew  stronger  and  more  inveterate. 
After  her  death,  a  purse  was  found  concealed  under  her 
pillow,  containing  above  £300  in  cash  and  bank  notes, 
to  which,  it  appears,  her  heart  had  been  more  firmly 
wedded  than  to  "  the  treasure  in  the  heavens  that  fail- 
eth  not,"  and  "  the  glory  which  fadeth  not  away."  Yet 
this  sordid  mortal  passed  among  Christian  society  as  a 
follower  of  Jesus.  Another  old  woman  died  lately, 
who  was  a  professed  zealot  for  the  truth,  for  "  a  cove- 
nanted work  of  reformation,"  and  for  testifying  against 
abounding  errors  and  immoralities  in  the  church.  She 
was  noted  among  her  neighbors  for  telling  fibs,  and 
giving  false  representations  of  her  own  circumstances 
and  those  of  others.  She  represented  herself  as  desti- 
tute of  money,  and  almost  of  daily  bread — that  she 
could  scarcely  attain  the  enjoyment  of  the  coarsest  mor- 
sel— and,  of  course,  she  was  favored  with  a  small  aliment 
from  a  charitable  fund.  She  was  also  distinguished  as  a 
busy-body  and  tale  bearer,  and  was  frequently  caught 
secretly  listening  to  the  conversation  of  her  immediate 
neighbors,  and  had  burrowed  a  hole  below  the  partition 
which  separated  her  apartment  from  that  of  another 
family,  in  order  that  she  might  indulge  in  this  mean 
and  unchristian  practice.  In  a  short  time  after  she 
had  represented  herself  as  a  destitute  pauper,  she  died, 
and,  after  her  death,  when  her  store  was  inspected,  it 
was  found  to  contain  a  considerable  quantity  of  con- 
fectionaries  of  diiferent  kinds,  spirits,  wines,  and  not  a 
small  portion  of  money  and  other  articles,  some  of 
which  had  been  accumulating  for  years.  Yet  no  one 
was  more  zealous  than  Margaret  for  the  truth,  and  for 
testifying  against  the  "  defections"  of  the  established 
church,  and  the  sins  and  immoralities  of  the  age.  Such 
examples  as  those  now  stated,  are  to  be  found  through- 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  73 

out   almost  every  portion  of  the  visible  church,  and 
might  be  multiplied  to  an  indefinite  extent. 

There  is  not  a  more  common  case  of  covetousness 
that  occurs  in  Christian  society,  than  that  of  taking  ad- 
vantage of  tlie  civil  law,  in  opposition  to  natural  justice, 
in  order  to  gratify  an  avaricious  affection.     A  father 
dies  suddenly  without  a  will ;  certain  relations,  perhaps 
the  son  of  the  first  mamage,  seize  upon  the  father's 
property,  while  the  widow  and  her  infant  children  are 
turned  adrift  from  their  accustomed  dwelling,  either 
with  nothing,  or  with  a  pittance  so  small  as  to  be  insuf- 
ficient to  procure  the  coarsest  necessaries  of  life.     Or, 
perhaps  a  will  has  been  drawn  up,  specifying  the  inten- 
tion of  the  father  in  regard  to  the  inheritance  of  his 
property,  but  he  dies  before  he  has  had  an  opportunity 
of  subscribing  the  document.     Though  the  will  of  the 
father  was  clearly  made  known  to  all  concerned,  yet  a 
person  called  the  heir  at  law,  will  immediately  step  in 
and  claim  the  whole  property  which  the  parent  intend- 
ed to    bequeath,  without  any  regard  to  the  natural 
rights  of  others.     The  death  of  parents  and  relatives 
frequently  produces  a  scene  of  rapacity  and  avarice 
which  is  truly  lamentable  to  a  pious  mind,  and  which 
no  one  could  previously  have  expected.     The  death  of 
friends  which  should  naturally  lead  us  to  reflections  on 
the  vanity  of  worldly  treasures,  and  the  reality  of  a  fu- 
ture state,  not  unfrequently  steels  the   heart  against 
every  generous  feeling,  and  opens  all  the  avenues  of 
ambition  and  avarice.     As  a  certain  writer  has  observ- 
ed, "  The  voice  from  the  tomb  leads  us  back  to  the 
world,  and  from  the  very  ashes  of  the  dead  there  comes 
a  fire  which  enkindles  our  earthly  desires."     The  in- 
stances of  this  kind  are  so  numerous,  that   volumes 
might  be  filled  with  the  details.     In  opposition  to  every 
Christian  principle,  and  to  the  dictates  of  natural  jus- 
tice, professed  religionists  wnll  grasp  at  weahh  wrung 
from  the  widow  and  the  orphan,  because  the  civil  law 
does  not  interpose  to  prevent  such  bare-faced  robbe- 
ries ;  and  yet  they  will  dare  to  hold  up  their  faces,  with- 
out a  blush,  in  Christian  society — while  one  who  had 
committed  a  fearless  extensive  robbery,  in  another forrriy 
7 


74  ON    THE    EFFECTS 

would  be  held  up  to  execration,  and  doomed  to  the 
gibbet.  I  know  no  practical  use  of  Christian  principle, 
unless  it  leads  a  man,  in  such  cases  to  perform  an  act  of 
natural  justice,  altogether  independent  of  the  compul- 
sions or  regulations  of  civil  codes.  "  The  law,"  says 
Paul,  "  was  not  made  for  a  righteous  man,  but  for  the 
lawless  and  disobedient,  the  ungodly  and  the  profane  ;" 
and  he  who,  in  cases  which  natural  justice  should  deter- 
mine, takes  shelter  under  the  protection  of  law,  in  com- 
mitting an  act  of  oppression,  ought  to  be  excluded 
from  the  society  of  the  faithful,  and  regarded  as  a"  hea- 
then man  and  a  publican."  That  such  characters  are 
so  frequently  found  in  the  visible  church,  is  a  plain  evi- 
dence that  the  laws  of  Christ's  kingdom  are  not  yet 
strictly  and  impartially  administered. 

The  forms  of  our  civil  laws  are  a  striking  proof  of 
the  extensive  range  of  the  operations  of  the  covetous 
principle,  and  a  kind  of  libel  on  the  character  of  man- 
kind, however  much  refined  by  civilization  and  Christ- 
ianity. "  It  is  impossible,"  says  a  periodical  writer,  "  to 
see  the  long  scrolls  in  which  every  contract  is  included, 
with  all  the  appendages  of  seals  and  attestation,  with- 
out wondering  at  the  depravity  of  those  beings  who 
must  be  restrained  from  violation  of  promises  by  such 
formal  and  pubhc  evidences,  and  precluded  from  equiv- 
ocation and  subterfuge  by  such  punctilious  minuteness. 
Among  all  the  satires  to  which  folly  and  wickedness 
have  given  occasion,  none  is  equally  severe  with  a  bond 
or  a  settlement."  And  is  it  not  a  satire  upon  Christ- 
ianity, that  its  professed  votaries  require  such  legal  obli- 
gation, and  punctilious  forms  and  specifications,  to  pre- 
vent the  inroads  of  avarice?  and  that  no  one  can  safely 
trust  money  or  property  to  any  one  on  the  faith  of  a 
Christian,  or  depending  purely  on  his  sense  of  equity 
and  justice  ? 

Before  proceeding  to  the  next  department  of  our  sub- 
ject, it  may  not  be  improper  to  advert  to  our  covetous- 
ness  and  idolatry,  considered  as  a  nation. 

Great  Britain  has  long  been  designated  by  the  title 
of  a  Christian  nation.  But,  if  proud  ambition  and  an 
inordinate  love  of  riches  and  power  be  inconsistent 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  75 

with  the  religion  of  Jesus,  we  have,  in  many  instances, 
forfeited  our  right  to  that  appellation.  Without  advert- 
ing to  the  immense  load  of  taxation  which  has  long 
been  levied  from  the  mass  of  the  people,  and  the  ex- 
travagance with  which  many  portions  of  it  have  been 
expended — the  heavy  imposts  on  foreign  produce,  and 
the  harassing  regulations  of  the  excise,  which  prevents 
a  free  intercourse  with  foreign  nations — the  keenness 
of  our  merchants  and  manufacturers  in  accumulating 
wealth  and  amassing  immense  fortunes  for  the  purpo- 
ses of  luxury — the  eagerness  with  which  our  Land- 
holders endeavor  to  keep  up  the  price  of  grain,  although 
the  poor  should  thus  be  deprived  of  many  of  their  com- 
forts— the  poverty  of  one  class  of  our  clergy  and  the 
extravagant  incomes  enjoyed  by  others — passing  the 
consideration  of  these  and  similar  characteristics,  I 
shall  only  mention  one  circumstance  which  appears 
altogether  inconsistent  with  our  character  as  a  Christ- 
ian nation,  and  that  is,  the  revenues  derived  from  the 
support  of  Idolatry  in  India,  and  the  encouragement 
thus  given  to  the  cruelties  and  abominations  of  Pagan 
worship. 

In  another  age,  it  will  perhaps  scarcely  be  believ- 
ed, that  Britain,  distinguished  for  her  zeal  in  propaga- 
ting the  Gospel  throughout  the  heathen  world,  has,  for 
many  years  past,  derived  a  revenue  from  the  worship- 
pers of  the  idol  Juggernaut,  and  other  idols  of  a  simi- 
lar description  at  Gya,  Allahabad,  Tripetty,  and  other 
places  in  Hindostan.  From  the  year  1813  to  1825, 
there  was  collected,  by  order  of  the  British  govern- 
ment, from  the  pilgrims  of  Juggernaut  alone,  about 
1,360,000  Rupees,  or  £170,000  ;  a  great  part  of  which 
was  devoted  to  the  support  of  the  idol,  and  the  priests 
who  officiated  in  conducting  the  ceremonies  of  this 
abominable  worship.  Dr.  Buchanan,  in  his  "  Christian 
Researches,"  states,  from  official  accounts,  that  the  an- 


76  ON    THE    EFFECTS 

nual  expense  of  the  idol  Juggernaut  presented  to  the 
Enghsh  government  as  follows  ; 

Rupees.         £. 
Expenses  of  the  Table  of  the  Idol,       36,115  or  4,514 
Do.      of  his  dress,  or  wearing  ap- 
parel, .  .  .         2,712  339 
Do.      wages  of  his  servants,             10,057       1,259 
Do.      contingent  expenses  at  the 

different  seasons  of  pilgrimage,  10,989       1,373 
Do.      of  his  elephants  and  horses,     3,030  378 

Do.  of  his  annual  state  carriage, 
or  the  car  and  tower  of  the 
idol,  .  .  .         6,713  839 


Rupees,     69,616    £8,702 


In  the  item  "  wages  of  servants,"  are  included  the 
wages  of  the  courtezans,  or  strumpets  who  are  kept  for 
the  service  of  the  temple.  INfr.  Hunter,  the  collector 
of  the  pilgrim  tax  for  the  year  1806,  told  Mr.  Buchan- 
an that  three  state  carriages  were  decorated  that  year, 
with  upwards  of  £200  sterling  of  English  broadcloth 
and  baize. 

The  following  items  show  the  gain  of  this  unnatural 
association  with  idolatry  at  some  of  the  principal  sta- 
tions appropriated  for  idol  worship. 

Rupees. 
Net  receipts  of  pilgrim  tax  at  Juggernaut 

for  1815,  .  .  .         135,667 

Do.       at  Gya  for  1816,  .  .  .    182,876 

Do.       at  Allahabad,  for  1816,  .  73,053 

Do.       at  Kashee-poor,  Surkuree,  Sum- 

bal  and  Kawa  for  1816,       .  .       5,683 

Do.       at  Tripetty,  near  Madras  for  181 1,    152,000 

Rupees,*  549,279 


*  A  Rupee  though  generally  considered  to  be  only  the  value  of  half  a 
crown,  yet  is  reckoned  in  the  case  of  the  pilgrims  of  India,  to  be  equiva- 
lent to  the  value  of  one  pound  sterling  to  an  inhabitant  of  Britain,  so 
that,  in  this  point  of  view,  Rupees  may  be  considered  as  equivalent  to 
pounds. 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  77 

Mr.  Hamilton  in  his  "  Description  of  Hindostan,"  as 
quoted  by  Mr.  Peggs,  in  his  "  Pilgrim  tax  in  India," 
states  with  respect  to  the  district  of  Tanjore  that  "  in 
almost  every  village,  there  is  a  temple  with  a  lofty  gate- 
way of  massive  architecture,  where  a  great  many  Brah- 
mins are  maintained,  partly  hy  an  allowance  from  gov- 
ernment. The  brahmins  are  here  extremely  loyal,  on 
account  of  the  protection  they  receive  and  also  for  an 
allowance  granted  them  hy  the  British  government  of 
45,000  Pagodas  or  £18,000  annually,  which  is  distrib- 
uted, for  the  support  of  the  poorer  temples" — a  sum 
which  would  purchase  one  hundred  and  eighty  thou- 
sand Bibles  at  two  shillings  each  !  Can  any  thing  be 
more  inconsistent  than  the  conduct  of  a  professed 
Christian  nation  in  thus  supporting  a  system  of  idola- 
try, the  most  revolting,  cruel,  lascivious  and  profane  ? 
Yet  a  member  of  the  parliament,  C.  BuUer,  Esq.  in 
his  letter  to  the  Court  of  Directors,  relative  to  Jugger- 
naut, in  1813,  says,  "  I  cannot  see  what  possible  objec- 
tion there  is  to  the  continuance  of  an  estabhshed  tax, 
particularly  when  it  is  taken  into  consideration  what 
large  possessions  in  land  and  money  are  allowed  hy  our 
government,  in  all  parts  of  the  country, /or  keeping  up 
the  religious  institutions  of  the  Hindoos  and  the  Mus- 
sulmans" 

The  scenes  of  Juggernaut  and  other  Idol-temples 
are  so  well  known  to  the  British  pubhc,  that  I  need  not 
dwell  on  the  abominations  and  the  spectacles  of  misery 
presented  in  these  habitations  of  cruelty.  I  shall  only 
remark  that,  from  all  parts  of  India,  numerous  bodies 
of  idol-worshippers  or  pilgrims  travel  many  hundreds 
of  miles  to  pay  homage  to  the  different  idols  to  which 
I  have  alluded.  A  tax  is  imposed  by  the  British  gov- 
ernment on  these  pilgrims,  graduated  according  to  the 
rank  or  circumstances  of  the  pilgrim,  and  amounting 
from  one  to  twenty  or  thirty  rupees — which  according 
to  the  estimate  stated  in  the  preceding  note,  (p.  76,)  will 
be  equivalent  to  one  pound  sterling  to  the  poorest  class 
of  pilgrims.  Those  journeying  to  Allahabad,  for  exam- 
ple, are  taxed  at  the  following  rates.  On  every  pil- 
7* 


78  ON   THE    EFFECTS 

grim  on  foot,  one  rupee.  On  every  pilgrim  with  a  horse 
or  palanquin,  two  rupees.  On  every  pilgrim  with  an 
elephant,  twenty  rupees^  &c.  Vast  numbers  of  deluded 
creatures  flock  every  year  to  these  temples.  In  1825, 
the  number  that  arrived  at  Juggernaut  was  estimated 
at  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand,  and  in  some 
cases  they  have  been  calculated  to  amount  to  more  than 
a  million.  The  deprivations  and  miseries  suffered  by 
many  of  these  wretched  beings  are  almost  incredible. 
Dr.  Buchanan,  who  visited  Juggernaut  temple  in  June, 
1806,  gives  the  following  statement.  "  Numbers  of  pil- 
grims die  on  the  road,  and  their  bodies  generally  remain 
unburied.  On  a  plain  near  the  pilgrim  Caravansera, 
100  miles  from  Juggernaut,  I  saw  more  than  100  skulls ; 
the  dogs,  jackalls.  and  vultures,  seem  to  live  here  on 
human  prey.  Wherever  I  turn  my  eyes,  I  meet  death 
in  one  shape  or  other.  From  the  place  where  I  now 
stand,  I  have  a  view  of  a  host  of  people,  like  an  army 
encamped  at  the  outer  gate  of  the  town  of  Juggernaut, 
where  a  guard  of  soldiers  is  ^o?,iQdi,to  prevent  them  from 
entering  the  town  until  they  have  paid  the  tax.  A  pil- 
grim announced  that  he  was  ready  to  offer  himself  a 
sacrifice  to  the  idol.  He  laid  himself  down  on  the  road 
before  the  car  as  it  was  moving  along,  on  his  face,  with 
his  arms  stretched  forward.  The  multitude  passed  him, 
leaving  the  space  clear,  and  he  was  crushed  to  death 
by  the  wheels.  How  much  I  wished  that  the  proprie- 
tors of  India  stock  would  have  attended  the  wheels  of 
Juggernaut,  and  seen  this  peculiar  source  of  their  reve- 
nue !  I  beheld  a  distressing  scene  this  morning  in  the 
place  of  skulls  ;  a  poor  woman  lying  dead,  or  nearly  so, 
and  her  two  children  by  her,  looking  at  the  dogs  and 
vultures  which  were  near.  The  people  passed  by 
without  noticing  the  children !  I  asked  them  where 
was  their  home  ?  They  said  they  had  no  home  but 
where  their  mother  was.  O  there  is  no  pity  at  Jugger- 
naut !  Those  who  support  his  kingdom,  err,  I  trust, 
from  ignorance  ;  they  know  not  what  they  do." 

"  The  loss  of  life,"  says  Colonel  Phipps,  who  witnes- 
sed this  festival  in  1822,  "  by  this  deplorable  supersti- 
tion, probably  exceeds  that  of  any  other.     The  aged, 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  79 

the  weak,  the  sick,  are  persuaded  to  attempt  this  pil- 
grimage as  a  remedy  for  all  evils.  The  number  of 
women  and  children  is  also  very  great,  and  they  leave 
their  families  and  their  occupations  to  travel  an  immense 
distance,  with  the  delusive  hope  of  obtaining  eternal 
bliss.  Their  means  of  subsistence  on  the  road  are 
scanty,  and  their  light  clothing  and  little  bodily  strength, 
are  ill  calculated  to  encounter  the  inclemency  of  the 
weather.  When  they  approach  the  temple,  they  find 
scarcely  enough  left  to  pay  the  tax  to  government,  and 
to  satisfy  the  rapacious  brahmins  ;  and,  on  leaving  Jug- 
gernaut, with  a  long  journey  before  them,  their  means 
of  support  are  often  quite  exhausted.  The  work  of 
death  then  becomes  rapid,  and  the  route  of  the  pilgrims 
may  be  traced  by  the  bones  left  by  jackalls  and  vultures, 
and  the  dead  bodies  may  be  seen  in  every  direction." 

The  Rev.  W.  Bampton,  in  an  account  of  this  festival, 
in  July,  1823,  states,  "in  the  front  of  one  of  the  cars 
lay  the  body  of  a  dead  man  ;  one  arm  and  one  leg  were 
eaten  ;  and  two  dogs  were  then  eating  him  ;  many  peo- 
ple were  near,  both  moving  and  stationary,  but  they 
did  not  seem  to  take  any  notice  of  the  circumstance. 
I  went  to  see  the  pilgrims,  who,  because  they  could  not 
pay  the  tax,  were  kept  without  one  of  the  gates.  In 
the  course  of  the  morning,  I  saw  within  a  mile  of  the 
gate  six  more  dead,  and  the  dogs  and  birds  were  eating 
three  of  them.  Five  or  six  lay  dead  within  a  mile  of 
the  gate.  A  military  officer  pointed  out  a  piece  of 
ground,  scarcely  an  acre,  on  which  he  had,  last  year, 
counted  twenty-five  dead  bodies."  Mr.  Lacey,  a  mis- 
sionary, who  was  at  the  festival  in  June  1825,  states, 
"  On  the  evening  of  the  19th  I  counted  upwai  ds  of  sixty 
dead  and  dying,  from  the  temple,  to  about  half  a  mile 
below — leaving  out  the  sick  that  had  not  much  life.  In 
every  street,  corner,  and  open  space — in  fact,  wherever 
you  turned  your  eyes,  the  dead  and  the  dying  met  your 
sight.  I  visited  one  of  the  Golgothas  betvveen  the 
town  and  the  principal  entrance,  and  I  saw  sights 
which  I  never  shall  forget.  The  small  river  there  was 
quite  glutted  with  the  dead  bodies.  The  wind  had 
drifted  them  all  together,  and  they  were  a  complete 


80  ON    THE    EFFECTS 

mass  of  putrefying  flesh.  They  also  lay  upon  the 
ground  in  heaps,  and  the  dogs  and  birds  were  able  to  do 
but  little  towards  devouring  them."  Such  horrid  de- 
tails could  be  multiplied  without  number ;  eveiy  one 
who  has  visited  such  scenes  of  misery  and  depravity, 
gives  similar  relations,  some  of  which  are  still  more 
horrible  and  revolting.  With  regard  to  the  number 
that  perish  on  such  occasions,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ward  esti- 
mates that  4000  pilgrims  perish  every  year,  on  the 
roads  to  and  at  holy  places — an  estimate  which  is 
considered  by  others  as  far  below  the  truth.     Captain 

F estimates  those  who  died  at  Cuttack  and 

Pooree,  and  between  the  two  stations,  at  5000.  How 
many  of  these  miserable  people  must  have  died  before 
they  reached  their  homes  !  many  of  them  coming  three, 
six,  or  nine  hundred  miles.  Mr.  M ,  the  Euro- 
pean collector  of  the  tax  at  Pooree,  estimated  the  mor- 
tality at  20,000  ! 

Juggernaut  is  on6  of  the  most  celebrated  stations  of 
idolatry  in  India.  All  the  land  within  twenty  miles  is 
considered  holy ;  but  the  most  sacred  spot  is  enclosed 
within  a  stone  wall  twenty-one  feet  high,  forming  a 
square  of  about  656  feet.  Within  this  area  are  about  fifty 
temples  ;  but  the  most  conspicuous  buildings  consist  of 
one  lofty  stone  tower,  184  feet  high  and  twenty-eight 
and  a  half  feet  square  inside.  The  idol  Juggernaut, 
his  brother  Bulbudra,  and  his  sister  Sabadra,  occupy 
the  tower.  The  roofs  are  ornamented  with  represen- 
tations of  monsters  ;  the  walls  of  the  temple  are  cov- 
ered with  statues  of  stone,  representing  Hindoo  gods 
with  their  wives  in  attitudes  grossly  indecent.  The 
three  celebrated  idols  alluded  to,  are  wooden  busts  six 
feet  high,  having  a  rude  resemblance  of  the  human 
head,  and  are  painted  white,  yellow  and  black,  with 
frightfully  grim  and  distorted  coimtenances.  They 
aro  covered  with  spangled  broadcloth,  famished 
from  the  export  warehouse  of  the  British  govern- 
ment. The  car  on  which  the  idol  is  drawn,  measures 
forty-three  and  a  half  feet  high,  has  sixteen  wheels  of 
six  and  a  half  feet  diameter,  and  a  platform  thirty- 
four  and  a  half  feet  square.     The  ceremonies  connect- 


OP    COVETOUSNESS,  81 

ed  with  this  idolatrous  worship,  are,  in  many  instances, 
exceedingly  revoking  and  obscene.  At  Ranibut,  in  the 
province  of  Gurwal,  is  a  temple  sacred  to  Rajah  Ish- 
wara,  which  is  principally  inhabited  by  dancing  women. 
The  initiation  into  this  society  is  performed  by  anoint- 
ing the  head  with  oil  taken  from  the  lamp  placed  before 
the  altar,  by  which  act,  they  make  a  formal  abjuration 
of  their  parents  and  kindred,  devotiiig  their  future  lives 
to  prostitution,  and  the  British  government,  by  giving 
annually  512  rupees  to  the  religious  mendicants  who 
frequent  this  temple,  directly  sanction  this  system  of 
obscenity  and  pollution.  Many  temples  of  impurity 
exist  in  other  places  of  Hindostan.  Tavernier  men- 
tions a  village  where  there  is  a  pagoda  to  which  all 
the  Indian  courtezans  come  to  make  their  offerings. 
This  pagoda  is  full  of  a  great  number  of  naked  images. 
Girls  of  eleven  or  tw^elve  years  old,  who  have  been 
bought  and  educated  for  the  purpose,  are  sent  by  their 
mistresses  to  this  pagoda,  to  offer  and  surrender  them- 
selves up  to  this  idol. 

In  order  to  induce  ignorant  devotees  to  forsake  their 
homes,  and  commence  pilgrims  to  these  temples  of 
impurity  and  idolatry,  a  set  of  avaricious  villains  termed 
Pilgrim  hunters  are  employed  to  traverse  the  country, 
and  by  all  manner  of  falsehoods,  to  proclaim  the  great- 
ness of  Juggernaut  and  other  idols.  They  declare, 
for  example,  that  this  idol  has  now  so  fully  convinced 
his  conquerors,  [that  is,  the  British]  of  his  divinity,  that 
they  have  taken  his  temple  under  their  own  superinten- 
dency  and  that  they  expend  60,000  rupees  from  year 
to  year  to  provide  him  with  an  attendance  worthy  of 
his  dignity.  These  pilgrim  hunters  are  paid  by  the  Brit- 
ish government.  If  one  of  them  can  march  out  a 
thousand  persons  and  persuade  them  to  undertake  the 
journey,  he  receives  1500  rupees,  if  they  be  of  the  low- 
er class  ;  and  3,000  rupees,  if  they  be  persons  belonging 
to  the  highest  class.  But,  what  is  worst  of  all — the 
conduct  of  the  British  government  in  relation  to  this 
system,  has  led  many  of  the  natives  to  believe  that  the 
British  nation  approves  of  the  idolatrous  worship  estab- 
lished in  India.    A  hindoo  inquired  of  a  missionary  in 


82  ON    THE    EFFECTS 

India,  "  If  Juggernaut  be  nothing,  why  does  the  Com- 
pany take  so  much  money  from  those  who  come  to  see 
him  ?"  Mr.  Lacey,  a  Missionary  who  went  to  relieve 
the  destitute  on  the  road  to  Cuttack,  during  one  of  the 
festivals,  relates  the  following  incident : — "  You  would 
have  felt  your  heart  moved,  to  hear,  as  I  did,  the  na- 
tives say — *  Your  preaching  is  a  lie ; — -for,  if  your  Sa- 
viour and  your  religion  are  thus  merciful,  how  do  you 
then  take  away  the  money  of  the  poor  and  suffer  him  to 
starve  V  "  It  is  indeed  no  wonder  that  when  the  natives 
see  a  poor  creatare  lying  dying  for  want ;  they  should  re- 
flect, that  the  two  rupees  he  paid  as  a  tax,  would  have 
kept  him  alive.  Nor  is  it  indeed  a  pleasing  reflection  to 
a  European  mind,  that  these  two  rupees  form  precisely  the 
difference  between  life  and  death  to  many  who  have  per- 
ished for  want  on  their  road  home.  Another  mission- 
ary relates,  "  Passing  one  evening  a  large  temple,  I 
caught  a  sight  of  one  of  the  idols,  and  exclaimed,  sinful, 
sinful !  The  native  who  was  with  me  asked,  '  Sir*  is 
that  sinful  for  which  the  Company  give  thousands/ 
A  man  said  to  me  a  few  days  ago,  '  If  the  govern- 
ment does  not  forsake  Juggernaut,  how  can  you  expect 
that  we  should  V  "  In  this  w  ay  the  efibrts  of  Christian 
missionaries  to  turn  the  Hindoo  from  idolatry,  are,  in 
many  instances  completely  paralyzed.* 

Such  is  the  worship  which  the  British  government 
supports,  and  from  which  it  derives  an  annual  revenue  : 
Such  is  the  covetousness  literally  and  directly  connect- 
ed with  "  idolatry,^'  manifested  by  those  who  give  their 
sanction  and  support  to  a  system  of  idol-worship,  dis- 
tinguished for  rapacity,  cruelty,  obscenity,  and  every 
thing  shocking  to  the  feelings  of  humanity  !  If  we  are 
commanded  to  "  flee  from  idolatry,"  "  to  abstain  from 
meats  offered  to  idols,"  and  to  "  hate  even  the  garment 
spotted  by  the  flesh,"  what  shall  we  think  of  the  practice 
of  receiving  hundreds  of  thousands  of  rupees  annually, 
for  permitting  blinded  idolaters  to  worship  the  most 
despicable  idols — of  clothing  those  idols,  repairing  their 

*  Most  of  the  facts  above  stated  have  been  selected  and  abridged  from 
Mr.  Pegg's  "  Pilgrim  tax  in  India." 


OF    COVETOrSNESS.  83 

temples,  and  paying  the  rapacious  and  unfeeling  priests 
that  nrunister  at  their  altars  ?  What  shall  we  think  of 
the  practice  of  Christian  Britons  sending  forth  a  body 
of  idol-missionaries,  far  exceeding  in  number  all  the 
Christian  missionaries,  perhaps,  throughout  the  world, 
who,  from  year  to  year,  propagate  delusion,  and  pro- 
claim for  the  sake  of  gain — the  transcendent  efficacy 
of  beholding  "  a  log  of  wood  ! "  "  Be  astonished,  O 
ye  heavens  at  this."  No  wonder  if  Christian  mission- 
aries have  the  most  formidable  opposition  to  encoun- 
ter, when  the  very  nation  that  sent  them  forth  to  un- 
dermine the  fabric  of  Pagan  superstition,  gives  direct 
countenance  and  support  to  every  thing  that  is  abhor- 
rent and  debasing  in  the  system  of  idolatry. 

How  appropriate  the  wish  expressed  by  Dr.  Bucha- 
nan, "  that  the  proprietors  of  India  stock,  could  have 
attended  the  wheels  of  Juggernaut,  and  seen  this  pecu- 
liar source  of  their  revenue  !"  I  would  live  on  "  a 
dinner  of  herbs,"  or  even  on  the  grass  of  the  fields, 
before  I  would  handle  a  sum  of  money  procured  in  this 
way,  to  supply  the  most  delicious  fare.  From  what- 
ever motives  support  is  given  to  this  system  of  Idol- 
atry, it  will  remain  an  indelible  stain  on  the  British  na- 
tion, to  generations  yet  unborn,  and  its  miserable  and 
demoralizing  effects  will  only  be  fully  known  in  the 
eternal  world. 


CHAPTER  II. 


ON    THE   ABSURDITY    AND   IRRATIONALITY    OF 
COVETOUSNESS. 

The  Creator  has  endowed  man  with  mental  facul- 
ties which,  if  properly  directed  and  employed,  would 
be  sufficient,  in  many  cases,  to  point  out  the  path  of  vir- 
tue, and  to  show  the  folly  and  unreasonableness  of 
vice.  All  the  laws  of  God,  when  properly  investigated 
as  to  their  tendency  and  effects,  will  be  found  accor- 
dant with  the  dictates  of  enhghtened  reason,  and  cal- 
culated to  produce  the  greatest  sum  of  human  happi- 
ness ;  and  the  dispositions  and  vices  which  these  laws 
denounce  will  uniformly  be  found  to  have  a  tendency 
to  produce  discomfort  and  misery,  and  to  subvert  the 
moral  order  and  happiness  of  the  intelligent  system. 
On  these  and  similar  grounds,  it  may  not  be  inexpedi- 
ent to  offer  a  few  remarks  on  the  folly  and  irrationali- 
ty of  the  vice  to  wliich  our  attention  is  directed. 

In  the  first  place,  the  irrationality  of  Covetousness, 
will  appear,  if  we  consider  the  noble  intellectual  facul- 
ties with  which  man  is  endowed. 

Man  is  furnished  not  only  with  sensitive  powers  to 
perceive  and  enjoy  the  various  objects  with  which  his 
terrestrial  habitation  is  replenished,  but  also  with  the 
powers  of  memory,  imagination,  judgment,  reasoning, 
and  the  moral  faculty.  By  these  powers  he  can  re- 
trace and  contemplate  the  most  remarkable  events 
which  have  happened  in  every  period  of  the  world, 
8 


86  ABSURDITY    AND    IRRATIONALITY 

since  time  Vjegan ;  suney  the  magnificent  scenen'  of 
nature  in  all  its  variety  and  extent ;  dive  into  the  depths 
of  the  ocean ;  ascend  into  the  regions  of  the  atmos- 
phere ;  pr\'  into  the  invisible  regions  of  creation,  and 
behold  the  myriads  of  animated  beings  that  people  the 
drops  of  water ;  determine  the  courses  of  the  celestial 
orbs ;  measure  the  distances  and  magnitudes  of  the 
planets :  predict  the  returns  of  comets  and  eclipses  ; 
convey  himself  along  mighty  rivers,  and  across  the  ex- 
pansive ocean ;  render  the  most  stubborn  elements  of 
nature  subservient  to  his  designs  and  obedient  to  his 
commands ;  and,  in  short,  can  penetrate  beyond  all 
that  is  visible  to  common  eyes,  to  those  regions  of  space 
where  suns  unnumbered  shine,  and  mighty  worlds  are 
running  their  solemn  rounds  ;  and  perceive  the  agency 
of  Infinite  Power  displaying  itself  throughout  the  un- 
limited regions  of  the  universe.  By  these  powers  he 
can  trace  the  existence  and  the  attributes  of  an  Invisi- 
ble and  Almighty  Being  operating  in  the  sun,  the  moon, 
and  the  starr}'  orbs,  in  the  revolutions  of  the  seasons, 
the  agency  of  the  elements,  the  process  of  vegetation, 
the  functions  of  animals,  and  the  moral  relations  which 
subsist  among  intelligent  beings ;  and  in  such  studies 
and  contemplations  he  can  enjoy  a  happiness  infinitely 
superior  to  all  the  delights  of  mere  animal  sensation. 
How  unreasonable  then,  is  it,  for  a  being  who  possess- 
es such  suVjlime  faculties,  to  have  his  whole  soul  ab- 
sorbed in  raking  together  a  few  paltry  pounds  or  dol- 
lars, which  he  either  applies  to  no  useful  object,  or  em- 
ploys merely  for  the  purposes  of  pride  and  ostentation  ! 
We  are  apt  to  smile  at  a  little  boy  hoarding  up  heaps 
of  cherry  stones,  small  pebbles,  or  sea  shells ;  but  he 
acts  a  more  rational  part  than  the  covetous  man  w  hose 
desires  are  concentrated  in  "  heaping  up  gold  as  the 
dust,  and  silver  as  the  stones  of  the  brook  ;"  for  the 
boy  has  not  arrived  at  the  full  exercise  of  his  rational 
powers,  and  is  incapable  of  forming  a  comprehensive 
judgment  of  those  pursuits  which  ought  to  be  the  great 
end  of  his  existence.  The  aims  and  pursuits  of  every 
intelligence,  ought  to  correspond  with  the  faculties  he 
possesses.     But  does  the  hoarding  of  one  shilling  after 


OF    COVETOrSXESS.  87 

another,  day  by  day,  and  the  absorption  of  the  facul- 
ties in  this  degrading  object,  while  almost  every  higher 
aim  is  set  aside, — correspond  to  the  noble  p«Dwers  with 
which  man  is  invested,  and  the  variety  aiid  sublimity 
of  those  objects  which  solicit  their  attention?  Is  there, 
indeed,  any  comparison  between  acquiring  ridies  and 
weahh  as  an  ultimate  object,  and  the  cultivation  of  the 
intellectual  faculties,  and  the  noble  pursuit  of  knowl- 
edge and  moral  improvement  ?  If  man  had  been  in- 
tended to  live  the  life  of  a  miser,  he  would  rather  have 
been  formed  into  the  shape  of  an  ant  or  a  pismire,  to 
dig  among  mud  and  sand  and  putrefaction,  to  burrow 
in  holes  and  crevices  of  the  earth,  and  to  heap  up  seeds 
and  grains  against  the  storms  of  winter;  in  which  state 
he  would  live  according  to  the  order  of  nature,  and  be 
incapable  of  degrading  his  mental  and  moral  powers. 

There  cannot  be  a  more  absurd  and  preposterous 
exhibition,  than  that  of  a  man  furnished  with  powers 
capable  of  an-esting  the  elements  of  nature,  of  directing 
the  hghtnings  in  their  course,  of  penetrating  to  the  dis- 
tant regions  of  creation,  of  weighing  the  masses  of  sur- 
rounding w.:)rlds.  of  holding  a  sublime  intercourse  with 
his  Almighty  Maker,  and  of  perpetual  progression  in 
knowledge  and  felicity,  througlnjut  an  interminable 
roimd  of  existence  ;  yet  prost.rating  these  noble  pow- 
ers by  concentrating  them  on  the  one  sole  object  of 
amassmg  a  number  of  guineas  and  bank  notes,  which 
are  never  intended  to  be  applied  to  any  rational  or  be- 
nevolent purpose  ;  as  if  man  were  raised  no  hi^er  in 
the  scale  of  intellect,  than  the  worms  of  the  dust !  Even 
some  of  the  lower  animals,  as  the  dog  and  the  horse, 
display  more  noble  and  generous  feelings,  than  the 
earth-wonn.  from  whose  grasp  you  cannot  wrench  a 
single  shilling  for  any  beneficent  object.  And  shall 
man.  who  was  formed  after  the  image  of  his  Maker, 
and  invested  with  dominion  over  all  the  inferior  tribes 
of  animated  nature,  thus  reduce  himself  by  his  grovel- 
ling affections  below  the  rank  of  the  beastsx)f  the  forest 
and  the  fowls  of  heaven  ?  Nothing  can  afford  a  plain- 
er proM  ot  man's  depravity-,  and  that  he  has  fallen  from 
his  liigh  estate  of  primeval  innocence  and  rectitude ; 


88  ABSURDITY    AND   IRRATIONALITY 

and  there  cannot  be  a  greater  libel  on  Christianity  and 
on  Christian  churches,  than  that  such  characters  should 
assume  the  Christian  profession,  and  have  their  names 
enrolled  among  the  society  of  the  faithful. 

2.  The  folly  of  covetousness  appears  in  tlie  absolute 
WANT  OF  UTILITY  icMch  characterizes  the  conduct  of  the 
avaricious  man. 

True  wisdom  consists  in  proportionating  means  to 
ends,  and  in  proposing  a  good  and  worthy  end  as  the 
object  of  our  pursuit.  He  would  be  accounted  a  fool, 
who  should  attempt  to  build  a  ship  of  war  on  one  of 
the  highest  peaks  of  the  Alps  or  the  Andes,  or  who 
should  spend  a  large  fortune  in  constructing  a  huge 
machine  which  was  of  no  use  to  mankind,  but  merely 
that  they  might  look  at  the  motion  of  its  wheels  and 
pinions;  or  who  should  attempt  to  pile  up  a  mountain 
of  sand  within  the  limits  of  the  sea,  which  the  foaming 
billows,  at  eveiy  returning  tide,  would  sweep  away 
into  the  bosom  of  the  deep.  But  the  man  "  who  lays 
up  treasures  for  himself  and  is  not  rich  tow^ards  God," 
acts  with  no  less  unreasonableness  and  folly.  He 
hoards  riches  which  he  never  intends  to  use  ;  he  vex- 
es and  torments  himself  in  acquiring  them ;  he  stints 
himself  of  even  lawful  sensitive  comforts  ;  and  his  sole 
enjoyment  seems  to  be  that  of  brooding  over  in  his 
mind  an  arithmetical  idea  connected  with  hundreds  or 
thousands  of  circular  pieces  of  gold,  or  square  slips  of 
paper.  The  poor  are  never  to  be  warmed,  or  fed,  or 
clothed,  the  oppressed  relieved,  the  widow's  heart 
made  to  leap  for  joy,  the  ignorant  instructed,  the  ordi- 
nances of  religion  supported,  or  the  gospel  promoted 
in  heathen  lands,  by  means  of  any  of  the  treasures 
which  he  accumulates.  He  "spends  his  money  for 
that  which  is  not  bread,  and  his  labor  for  that  which 
satisfieth  not ;"  and  neither  himself,  his  family,  his 
friends,  his  country,  or  the  world  is  benefitted  by  his 
wealth.  I  have  read  of  a  Reverend  Mr.  Hagamore  of 
Catshoge,  Leicestershire,  on  whose  death,  in  January, 
1776,  it  was  found,  that  he  had  accumulated  thirty 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  89 

gowns  and  cassocks,  one  hundred  pairof  breeches^  one 
hundred  pair  of  boots,  four  hundred  pair  of  shoes,  eigh- 
ty wigs,  yet  always  wore  his  own  hair,  fifty  eight  dogs, 
eighty  waggons  and  carts,  eighty  ploughs,  and  used 
none,  fifty  saddles,  and  furniture  for  the  menage,  thirty 
wheel-barrows,  sixty  horses  and  mares,  seventy  four 
ladders,  two  hundred  pick  axes,  two  hundred  spades 
and  shovels,  two  hundred  and  forty  nine  razors,  and  so 
many  walking  sticks,  that  a  toysman  in  Leicesterfields, 
offered  eight  pounds  sterling  to  procure  them.*  Every 
one  will  at  once  perceive,  that  this  man,  although  he 
had  the  title  of  "  Reverend"  affixed  to  his  name,  must 
have  been  nothing  else  but  a  Reverend  fool,  or  some- 
thing approaching  to  a  maniac;  for,  to  accumulate  such 
a  number  of  useful  articles,  merely  for  the  purpose  of 
looking  at  them,  or  brooding  over  the  idea  that  they 
were  in  one's  possession,  without  any  higher  object  in 
view,  is  surely  the  characteristic  of  folly  and  irrational- 
ity, if  any  thing  ought  to  designate  a  person  a  fool  or  a 
madman. 

Now,  let  us  suppose  for  a  moment,  instead  of  money, 
a  man  were  to  hoard  in  a  garret  or  a  warehouse  ap- 
propriated for  the  purpose — 10,000  pots  or  cauldrons 
that  were  never  to  be  used  in  cooking  victuals,  or  for 
any  other  process, — 15,000  tea-kettles,  20,000  coffee- 
pots, 25,000  pair  of  boots,  30,000  knee-buckles,  32,000 
great  coats,  and  40,000  pair  of  trowsers — suppose  that 
none  of  these  articles  were  intended  to  be  sold  or  ap- 
propriated to  such  uses  as  they  are  generally  intended 
to  serve,  but  merely  to  be  gazed  at  from  day  to  day, 
or  contemplated  in  the  ideas  of  them  that  float  before 
the  imagination — what  should  we  think  of  the  man  who 
spent  his  whole  life,  and  concentrated  all  the  energies 

*  This  singular  clergyman,  when  he  died,  was  worth  £700  per  an- 
num, and  £1000  in  money,  which  fell  to  a  ticket  porter  in  London, 
He  kept  one  servant  of  each  sex,  whom  he  locked  up  every  night. 
His  last  employment  on  an  evening,  was  to  ^o  round  his  premises,  let 
loose  his  dogs,  and  fire  his  gun.  He  lost  his  life  as  follows :  going  one 
morning  to  let  out  his  servants,  the  dogs  fawned  upon  him  suddenly, 
and  threw  him  into  a  pond,  where  he  was  found  deeid.  His  servants 
heard  his  calls  for  assistance,  but,  being  locked  up  they  could  not  lend 
him  any  help. 

8* 


90  ABSURDITY   AND   IRRATIONALITY 

of  his  soul  in  such  romantic  pursuits  and  acquisitions  ? 
We  should  at  once  decide,  that  he  was  unqualified  for 
associating  with  rational  beings,  and  fit  only  for  a  place 
within  the  precincts  of  bedlam.  But  what  is  the 
great  difference  between  accumulating  twenty  thou- 
sand cork-screws,  or  thirty  thousand  shoe-brushes,  and 
hoarding  as  many  thousands  of  shillings,  dollars  or  pie- 
ces of  paper  called  bank  notes,  which  are  never  intend- 
ed to  be  brought  forth  for  the  benefit  of  mankind  ?  The 
cases  are  almost  exactly  parallel ;  and  he  who  is  con- 
sidered as  a  fool  or  maniac,  in  the  one  case,  deserves 
to  be  branded  with  the  same  epithets,  in  the  other. 
Were  a  man  to  employ  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in 
laying  up  millions  of  cherry-stones  or  pin  heads,  and 
find  bis  chief  delight  in  contemplating  his  heaps,  and 
continually  adding  to  their  number,  he  would  be  con- 
sidered as  below  the  scale  of  a  rational  being,  and  unfit 
for  general  society.  But  there  is  no  essential  difference 
between  such  a  fool,  and  the  man  whose  great  and  ul- 
timate aim  is  to  accumulate  thousands  of  dollars  or  of 
guineas.  Both  classes  of  persons  are  in  reahty  mani- 
acs— with  this  difference,  that  the  first  class  would  be 
considered  as  laboring  under  a  serious  mental  de- 
rangement, and  therefore  objects  of  sympathy  and 
pity  ;  while  the  other  are  considered  as  in  the  full  exer- 
cise of  their  intellectual  powers,  although  they  are  pros- 
trating them  in  the  pursuit  of  objects  as  degrading  and 
irrational,  as  those  which  engross  the  imagination  of  the 
inmates  of  bedlam. 

But,  suppose  that  riches  are  coveted,  not  for  the  pur- 
pose of  being  hoarded,  but  for  the  purpose  of  being  ex- 
pended in  selfish  gratifications,  there  is  almost  as  much 
folly  and  irrationality  in  the  latter  case  as  in  the  former. 
Suppose  a  man  to  have  an  income  of  £3000  a  year, 
and  that  £800  are  sufficient  to  procure  him  all  the  sen- 
sitive enjoyments  suitable  to  his  station — is  it  rational^ 
is  it  useful,  either  to  himself  or  others,  that  he  should 
waste  £2200  in  vain  or  profligate  pursuits,  in  ballsy 
masquerades,  gambling,  hounding,  horse  racing,  expen- 
sive attire,  and  splendid  equipages — when  there  are  so 
many  poor  to  be  relieved,  so  many  ignorant  to  be  in^ 


OP   COVETOUSNESS.  91 

structed,  so  many  improvements  requisite  for  the  com- 
fort of  general  society,  so  many  sciences  to  cultivate,  so 
many  arts  to  patronize,  and  so  many  arduous  exertions 
required  for  promoting  the  general  renovation  of  the 
world — and  scarcely  a  single  guinea  devoted  to  either 
of  these  objects  ?  Such  conduct  is  no  less  irrational  and 
degrading,  in  a  moral  and  accountable  agent,  than  that 
of  the  grovelling  wretch  who  hoards  his  money  in  a 
bag  which  is  never  opened  but  with  jealous  care  when 
he  has  a  few  more  guineas  or  dollars  to  put  into  it.  In 
both  cases,  wealth  is  turned  aside  from  its  legitimate 
channel,  and  perverted  to  purposes  directly  opposite 
to  the  will  of  the  Creator,  and  the  true  happiness  of 
mankind. 


3.  The  folly  of  Avarice  will  appear,  if  we  consider 
it  in  relation  to  rational  enjoyment. 

The  rational  enjoyment  of  life  consists,  among  other 
things,  in  the  moderate  use  of  the  bounties  of  Provi- 
dence which  God  has  provided  for  all  his  creatures — 
in  the  exercise  of  our  physical  and  mental  powers  on 
those  objects  which  are  calculated  to  afford  satisfac- 
tion and  delight — in  the  emotions  of  contentment  and 
gratitude  towards  our  Creator — in  the  sweets  of  an 
approving  conscience — in  the  acquisition  of  knowledge 
— in  the  flow  of  the  benevolent  affections,  in  affection- 
ate social  intercourse  with  our  fellow  men,  in  the  exer- 
cise of  tenderness,  sympathy,  and  good  will  towards 
others,  and  in  that  calmness  or  equanimity  which  re- 
mains unruffled  amidst  the  changes  of  fortune,  and  the 
untoward  incidents  of  human  life.  Now,  in  none  of 
these  respects  can  the  covetous  man  experience  the 
sweets  of  true  enjoyment.  He  has  it  in  his  power  to 
enjoy  all  the  sensitive  pleasures  in  which  a  rational  be- 
ing ought  to  indulge,  yet  he  stints  himself  even  of  ne- 
cessary comforts,  and  lives  upon  husks  when  he 
might  feast  himself  on  the  choicest  dainties,  because  it 
might  prevent  him  from  adding  new  stores  to  his  se- 
cret treasures.  He  will  shiver  amidst  the  colds  of  win- 
ter, under  a  tattered  coat,  or  a  thread-bare  covering, 


92  ABSURDITY    AND   IRRATIONALITY 

and  sit  benumbed  in  his  apartment  without  a  fire  to 
cheer  him,  because  the  purchase  of  requisite  comforts 
would  diminish  the  number  of  his  pounds,  shillings,  and 
pence.  He  will  lie  on  a  bed  of  straw,  during  the  dark 
evenings  of  winter,  like  a  mere  animal  existence,  rath- 
er than  furnish  oil  for  a  lamp,  and  will  wallow  like  a 
sow  amidst  mire  and  filth,  rather  than  give  the  smallest 
trifle  to  a  person  to  clean  his  apartment.  Of  mental 
pleasures  he  can  scarcely  be  said  to  enjoy  the  smallest 
share,  except  in  so  far  as  the  ideas  of  accumulated 
gold  and  silver  are  concerned.  He  is  necessarily  op- 
pressed with  restless  anxiety.  The  objects  of  his  cov- 
etousness  are,  in  most  instances,  necessarily  uncertain. 
He  strives  to  obtain  them,  but  is  doubtful  of  success ; 
his  mind  hangs  between  hope  and  fear ;  his  desires 
are,  however,  continually  exerted  ;  he  is  on  the  rack  as 
it  were,  till  he  sees  the  issue  of  his  adventure,  and  in 
numerous  cases,  his  hopes  are  blasted,  and  his  schemes 
disconcerted ;  and  when  the  plans  of  gain  he  had  laid 
are  frustrated,  or  a  portion  of  his  wealth  destroyed  by 
an  unexpected  accident,  he  feels  all  the  pains  and  ago- 
nies of  a  man  verging  towards  poverty  and  ruin. 
While  a  contented  man  may  become  rich,  to  every  de- 
sirable degree,  amid  the  full  possession  of  serenity  of 
mind,  and  self-approbation,  the  anxiety  of  the  covetous 
is  necessarily  great  and  distressing ;  and  that  is  one 
part  of  the  punishment  he  inevitably  suflfers  under  the 
righteous  government  of  God,  on  account  of  his  in- 
fringement of  the  natural  and  moral  laws  of  the  uni- 
verse. To  the  misery  of  perpetual  anxiety  are  added 
incessant  lahor^  and  an  endless  and  wearisome  train  of 
exertion  to  augment  his  gains  and  secure  himself  from 
losses.  Like  a  slave  or  a  mill-horse,  he  drudges  on  in 
a  state  of  travail,  and  in  an  unceasing  whirl  of  toil  and 
effort,  which  leave  no  intervals  for  rational  reflection 
and  enjoyment ;  and,  after  all,  his  desires  are  still  cra- 
ving and  still  unsatisfied. 

In  the  midst  of  such  labor  and  mental  efforts  and  per- 
plexities, he  meets  with  frequent  disappointments. 
His  deeds  or  obligations  are  found  to  be  defective  ; 
his  bills  are  refused  to  be  discounted ;  his  agents  prove 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  93 

cheats  and  deceivers ;  storms  will  blow  in  spite  of  him, 
and  sink  his  ships  in  the  mighty  waters  ;  floods  and  in- 
undations will  sweep  away  the  produce  of  his  fields  ; 
his  crops  will  fail ;  his  cattle  die  ;  his  debtors  abscond 
or  become  bankrupts,  and  the  devouring  flames  will 
seize  upon  his  houses  and  barns,  or  his  shops  and  ware- 
houses, and  consume  them  to  ashes.  In  all  such  cases, 
where  a  contented  mind  will  endeavor  to  submit  with 
calmness  to  the  allotments  of  Providence,  the  mind  of 
the  covetous  impugns  the  rectitude  of  the  Divine  dispen- 
sation, and  heaves  with  unutterable  throes  of  agony 
and  despair.  In  the  language  of  inspiration  "  he  is 
pierced  through,"  or,  compassed  on  every  side  '^  icith 
many  sorrows"  and  the  inward  language  of  his  heart 
is — and  it  is  awfully  appropriate,  "  Ye  have  taken  away 
my  gods  ;  and  what  have  I  more  ?"  Amidst  such  mis- 
fortunes and  mental  pangs,  he  is  frequently  left  without 
friends,  without  pity,  or  sympathy,  or  commiseration 
— pointed  at  with  the  finger  of  scorn,  stung  by  the  keen 
sarcasms  of  his  neighbors,  and  considered  as  a  fit  mark 
for  the  shafts  of  contempt  and  derision,  while  the  lash- 
es of  his  own  conscience  add  a  keenness  to  his  anguish. 
It  is  almost  needless  to  add,  that  he  derives  no  enjoy- 
ment from  the  exercise  of  kindness  and  benignity,  from 
the  pursuits  of  knowledge,  the  contemplation  of  nature, 
the  affectionate  association  of  his  fellow  men,  or  the 
satisfaction  which  arises  from  deeds  of  beneficence, 
for  his  degrading  pursuits  leave  him  neither  leisure 
nor  rehsh  for  such  refined  gratifications.  Who,  then, 
that  has  any  regard  to  rational  enjoyment,  would  de- 
sire the  state  of  mind,  and  the  condition  of  such  a 
WTctched  mortal,  even  although  his  bags  were  full  of 
gold,  and  his  barns  filled  with  plenty. 

Nor  are  the  enjoyments  much  superior,  of  the  man 
who  covets  riches  merely  for  the  purpose  of  living  in 
splendor  and  fashionable  dissipation.  To  a  rational 
mind  conscious  of  its  dignity,  and  of  the  noble  powers 
with  which  it  is  furnished,  how  poor  a  gratification 
would  it  receive  from  all  the  pleasures  and  gewgaws 
that  fascinate  the  worldly  minded  and  the  gay  ?  Are 
the  pleasures  derived  from  rich  viands,  delicious  wines, 


94  ABSURDITY    AXD    IRRATIONALITY 

costly  apparel,  stately  mansions,  splendid  equipages, 
fashionable  parties  and  divei'sions,  an  enjoyment  ade- 
quate to  the  sublime  faculties,  and  the  boundless  de- 
sires of  an  immortal  mind  1  How  many  of  those  who 
make  such  pleasures  the  grand  object  of  their  pursuit, 
are  found  the  slaves  of  the  most  abject  passions  with 
hearts  overflowing  with  pride,  rankling  with  envy,  fired 
with  resentment  at  every  trivial  afl^ront,  revengeful  of 
injuries,  and  hurried  along,  by  the  lust  of  ambition,  into 
every  folly  and  extravagance  ?  Where  such  passions 
are  continually  operating,  along  with  all  their  kindred 
emotions,  and  where  benevolence  is  seldom  exercised, 
it  is  impossible  that  true  happiness  can  ever  be  enjoyed. 
And  hence,  we  find,  among  persons  of  this  description, 
more  instances  of  suicide,  and  more  numerous  exam- 
ples of  family  feuds,  contentions,  and  separations,  than 
among  any  other  class  of  general  society.  So  that 
there  is  no  reason  to  desire  the  enjoyments  of  covet- 
ousness  in  whatever  channel  it  may  run,  or  whatever 
shape  it  may  assume. 

.  4.  The  folly  and  irrationality  of  covetousness  ap- 
pears, wJwJi  we  consider  the  immortal  destination  of 
man. 

There  are  thousands  of  misers  and  other  worldlings 
who  are  governed  by  the  lust  of  ambition  and  covet- 
ousness, who  admit  the  doctrine  of  a  future  state  of 
punishments  and  rewards.  Independently  of  those  ar- 
guments which  may  be  drawn  from  the  nature  of  the 
human  soul,  its  desires  of  knowledge  and  capacious  in- 
tellectual powers,  the  unlimited  range  of  view  which  is 
opened  to  these  faculties,  throughout  the  immensity  of 
space  and  duration,  the  moral  attributes  of  God,  the 
unequal  distribution  of  rewards  and  punishments  in  the 
present  state,  and  other  considerations, — there  is  a  pre- 
monition and  a  powerful  impression  in  almost  every 
human  mind,  that  the  range  of  its  existence  is  not  con- 
fined to  the  present  life,  but  that  a  world  of  bliss  or  woe 
awaits  it  beyond  the  grave.  And,  as  vast  multitudes 
of  worldly  and  avaricious  characters  are  to  be  found 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  95 

connected  with  the  visible  church,  or  frequenting  its  ser- 
vices ;  by  this  very  circumstance,  they  formally  admit, 
that  there  is  another  scene  of  existence  into  which  they 
enter  at  the  hour  of  dissolution. 

Now,  how  irrational  and  inconsistent  is  it  for  a  man 
to  admit,  that  there  is  a  world  beyond  the  present 
which  is  to  be  the  scene  of  his  everlasting  abode,  and 
yet  continue  to  have  his  whole  thoughts  and  affections 
absorbed  in  pursuing  the  riches  and  transitory  gratifica- 
tions of  the  present  hfe,  without  casting  a  serious  glance 
on  the  realities  of  the  invisible  state,  or  preparing  to 
meet  them  ?  If  we  had  just  views  of  all  the  moment- 
ous realities,  and  the  scenes  of  glory,  and  of  terror,  con- 
nected with  the  idea  of  an  eternal  world,  and  could 
contrast  them  with  the  vain  and  fleeting  enjoyments  of 
this  mortal  scene,  we  should  perceive  a  /o%*and  even 
a  species  of  madness  in  such  conduct,  more  astonish- 
ing than  what  is  seen  in  any  other  course  of  action  pur- 
sued by  human  beings.  If  a  man  have  an  estate  in  a 
distant  country,  on  the  proceeds  of  w  hich  a  considera- 
ble portion  of  his  income  depends,  he  will  not  forget 
that  he  has  an  interest  in  that  country  ;  he  will  corres- 
pond with  it,  and  will  be  anxious  to  learn  intelligence 
respecting  its  affairs  from  periodical  journals  and  other 
sources  of  information.  If  a  person,  on  the  expiry  of 
ten  years,  has  the  prospect  of  entering  on  the  posses- 
sion of  a  rich  inheritance,  he  will  look  forward  to  it, 
with  longing  expectations,  and  will  employ  his  thoughts 
in  making  arrangements  for  enjoying  it,  though  perhaps 
he  may  not  live  to  take  possession.  Nay,  we  shall  find 
many  individuals  spending  weeks  and  months  in  mel- 
ancholy and  chagrin  for  the  loss  of  a  few  guineas  or  dol- 
lars, and,  at  other  times,  deriving  their  chief  pleasure 
from  the  prospect  of  a  paltry  gain.  Yet  strange  to 
tell,  many  such  persons  remain  altogether  insensible  to 
the  joys  and  sorrows  of  a  future  world,  and  never  make 
the  least  arrangement  in  reference  to  that  state ;  al- 
though there  is  an  absolute  certainty  that  it  awaits  them, 
and  that  it  is  possible  they  may  be  ushered  into  it  be- 
fore to-morrow's  dawn.  Can  any  species  of  folly  with 
which  men  are  chargeable,  be  compared  with  such  ap- 


96  ABSURDITY    AND   IRRATIONALITY 

athy  and  indifference   about  everlasting  things,  when 
such  things  are  admitted  to  have  a  real  existence  ? 

It  is  a  dictate  of  wisdom,  and  even  of  common  sense, 
that  when  a  person  has  a  prospect  of  occupying  any 
office  or  condition  in  hfe,  he  ought  to  engage  in  that 
course  of  preparation  which  will  qualify  him  for  per- 
forming its  duties  and  enjoying  its  comforts.  But  what 
preparation  does  the  covetous  man  make  for  enabling 
him  to  relish  the  enjoyments,  and  to  engage  in  the  ex- 
ercises of  the  eternal  world  ?  Will  heaping  up  silver 
as  the  dust,  and  filling  his  bags  with  sovereigns  and 
dollars,  and  concentrating  his  thoughts  and  affections 
on  such  objects,  prepare  him  for  the  sublime  contem- 
plations of  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,  and  the 
hallelujahs  of  the  heavenly  host  ?  Will  his  hard  grip- 
ing disposition  which  never  permitted  him  to  drop  the 
tear  of  sympathy,  or  to  relieve  the  widow  and  the  or- 
phan, render  him  meet  for  associating  with  the  inhabit- 
ants of  that  world,  where  love  and  the  purest  affec- 
tions, in  all  their  varied  ramifications,  forever  prevail  ? 
Will  his  anxious  desires  and  his  incessant  toils  from 
morning  to  night,  to  add  to  the  number  of  his  guineas, 
and  the  extent  of  his  property,  qualify  him  for  survey- 
ing the  wonderful  works  of  God,  and  contemplating 
the  glory  of  Him  "  who  was  slain  and  hath  redeemed 
us  to  God  by  his  blood  ?"  Can  any  man,  who  has  the 
least  spark  of  rationahty  within  him,  imagine  that  such 
conduct  and  such  dispositions,  are  at  all  compatible 
with  preparation  for  the  felicities  of  the  heavenly  state  ? 
Or,  does  the  poor  degraded  miser  really  believe  that 
heaven  is  filled  with  bags  of  gold  and  silver,  and  that 
there  is  no  employment  there  but  "  buying  and  selling, 
and  getting  gain  ?"  If  the  mansions  of  heaven,  and  the 
exercises  of  its  inhabitants,  be  such  as  the  Scriptures 
delineate,  then,  there  is  an  utter  incompatibility  be- 
tween the  employments  of  the  celestial  state,  and  the 
train  of  action,  and  the  temper  of  mind,  of  the  covetous 
man,  which  renders  him  altogether  unqualified  for  its 
enjoyments.  And,  if  he  be  unprepared  for  the  joys  and 
the  services  of  the  heavenly  state,  he  cannot,  in  con- 
sistency with  the  constitution  of  the  moral  world,  be 


OF    COVETOUSNESS.  97 

admitted  into  its  mansions,  but  must  necessarily  sink 
into  "  the  blackness  of  darkness  forever." 

Nor  are  the  pursuits  of  the  worldling,  who  spends 
his  wealth  in  vanity  and  luxury,  more  compatible  with 
the  joys  of  the  celestial  world.  This  will  appear,  if  we 
consider  some  of  the  ingredients  w^hich  enter  into  the 
essence  of  heavenly  felicity.  From  the  representations 
of  this  state  given  in  the  Scriptures,  w^e  learn,  that  it  is 
a  state  of  perfect  purity  and  holiness  ;  that  the  minds 
of  its  inhabitants  are  irradiated  with  divine  knowledge, 
and  adorned  with  every  divine  virtue ;  that  love  per- 
vades and  unites  the  hearts  of  the  whole  of  that  vast 
assembly ;  that  humility  is  one  of  their  distinguishing 
characteristics ;  that  they  are  forever  engaged  in  be- 
neficent services  ;  that  the  contemplation  of  the  works 
and  ways  of  God  forms  a  part  of  their  employment ; 
and  that  they  are  unceasingly  engaged  in  sublime  ad- 
orations of  the  Creator  of  the  universe,  in  contempla- 
ting the  glory  and  celebrating  the  praises  of  Him  "  who 
hath  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own 
blood."  But  what  resemblance  is  there  between  such 
a  state  and  such  employments,  and  the  pursuits  of  the 
gay  worldling  whose  heart  is  set  upon  his  riches  as  the 
chief  object  of  his  affections  ?  Would  the  man  who 
spends  his  wealth  in  hounding,  horse-racing,  cock-fight- 
ing and  gambling,  find  any  similar  entertainments  for 
his  amusement  in  the  upper  world  ?  Would  the  proud 
and  ambitious,  who  look  down  on  the  vulgar  throng  as 
if  they  were  the  worms  of  the  dust,  and  who  value 
themselves  on  account  of  their  stately  mansions  and 
glittering  equipage,  find  any  enjoyment  in  a  world 
where  humility  is  the  distinguishing  disposition  of  all 
its  inhabitants  ?  Would  the  warrior,  who  delights  in 
carnage  and  devastation,  expect  to  have  cities  to  storm, 
towns  to  pillage,  or  armies  to  manoeuvre,  or  would 
he  think  of  rehearsing  in  "  the  assembly  of  the  just," 
the  deeds  of  violence  and  slaughter  which  he  perpetra- 
ted upon  earth  ?  Would  the  fine  lady  who  struts  in 
all  the  gaiety  and  splendor  of  dress,  who  spends  half 
her  time  at  her  toilette,  and  in  fashionable  visits,  whose 
chief  delight  consists  in  rattling  dice  and  shuffling  cards, 
9 


98  ABSURDITY  AND   IRRATIONALITY,  &C. 

in  attending  balls,  masquerades  and  plays ;  who  never 
devotes  a  single  sovereign  to  beneficent  purposes,  or  to 
the  propagation  of  religion ;  whose  life  is  one  continu- 
ed round  of  frivolity  and  dissipation ;  would  such  a 
character  meet  with  any  similar  entertainments  in  the 
society  of  the  angeUc  hosts,  and  of  the  spirits  of  just 
men  made  perfect  ?  In  short,  can  it  be  supposed  in 
consistency  with  reason,  that  such  dispositions  and  pur- 
suits have  a  tendency  to  produce  a  relish  for  the  en- 
joyments of  the  celestial  world,  and  to  prepare  the  soul 
for  joining,  with  delight,  in  the  exercises  of  its  inhabit- 
ants ?  If  not,  then  such  characters  would  find  no  en- 
joyment, although  they  were  admitted  within  the  gates 
of  paradise  ;  but,  like  the  gloomy  owl,  which  shuns  the 
light  of  day,  and  the  society  of  the  feathered  tribes,  they 
would  flee  from  the  society  and  the  abodes  of  the  bless- 
ed, to  other  retreats,  and  to  more  congenial  compan- 
ions. 

Thus  it  appears,  that  covetousness,  whatever  form  it 
may  assume,  is  utterly  inconsistent  with  any  ration- 
al or  scriptural  ideas  we  can  entertain  in  relation  to 
man's  eternal  destiny.  He  is  a  poor,  pitiable  fool  who 
makes  the  slightest  pretences  to  religion,  while  his 
heart  is  the  seat  of  avaricious  desires,  or  who  makes 
riches,  gay  apparel,  foolish  amusements,  and  the  grati- 
fication of  pride  and  vanity,  the  chief  object  of  his  pur- 
suit. He  subjects  himself  to  unnecessary  distress  by 
the  compunctions  of  conscience,  which  the  denuncia- 
tions of  religion  must  occasionally  produce  ;  and,  if  he 
has  any  measure  of  common  sense,  he  must  plainly  per- 
ceive, that  any  hopes  of  happiness  he  may  indulge  in 
relation  to  a  future  state,  are  founded  on  "  the  baseless 
fabric  of  a  vision."  The  only  consistent  plan,  there- 
fore, which  he  can  adopt — if  he  is  determined  to  pros- 
ecute his  avaricious  courses — is,  to  endeavor  to  prove 
religion  a  fable,  to  abandon  himself  to  downright  scep- 
ticism, to  scout  the  idea  of  a  Supreme  Governor  of  the 
universe,  and  to  try,  if  he  can,  to  live  "  without  God, 
and  without  hope  in  the  world." 


CHAPTER  III 


ON  THE   INCONSISTENCY  OF  COVETOUSNESS  WITH    THE 
WORD    OF    GOD. 

There  is  no  vicious  propensity  of  the  human  heart 
more  frequently  alluded  to,  and  more  severely  denoun- 
ced in  the  Scriptures  of  truth,  than  the  sin  of  covetous- 
ness.  For  it  strikes  at  the  root  of  all  true  religion,  saps 
the  foundations  of  piety  and  benevolence,  and  is  ac- 
companied with  innumerable  vices  and  evil  propensi- 
ties, which  rob  God  of  his  honor  and  glory,  and  "  drown 
men  in  destruction  and  perdition."  It  would  be  too 
tedious  to  enter  into  all  the  views  which  the  word  of 
God  exhibits  of  the  nature  and  tendencies  of  this  sin, 
of  the  threatenings  which  are  denounced  against  it, 
and  of  its  utter  inconsistency  with  the  benevolent  spirit 
of  the  religion  of  Jesus ;  and  therefore,  I  shall  select 
for  illustration,  only  two  or  three  prominent  particu- 
lars. 

In  the  first  place,  this  propensity  is  branded  in  Scrip- 
ture with  the  name  of  Idolatry.  "  Let  not  covetous- 
ness,"  says  Paul  to  the  Ephesians,  "  be  once  named 
among  you,  as  becometh  saints.  For  this  ye  know, 
that  no  covetous  man  wlw  is  an  idolater^  hath  any  in- 
heritance in  the  kingdom  of  Christ  and  of  God."  And, 
in  his  Epistle  to  the  Colossians,  he  enumerates,  among 
the  vices  which  bring  down  the  wrath  of  God  upon  the 
children  of  disobedience,  "  covetousness  which  is  Idola- 
tryr* 

Idolatry  is  one  of  the  greatest  crimes  of  which  a  ra- 

*  Ephes.  V.  3,  5.    Colos.  iii.  5. 


100  INCONSISTENCY    OF    COVETOUSNESS 

tional  being  can  be  guilty  ;  for  it  is  that  which  is  the 
source  of  all  the  ignorance,  superstition,  cruelties,  im- 
moralities and  obscene  abominations  of  the  heathen 
world.  It  is  to  idolatry  we  are  to  ascribe  the  burning 
of  widows  in  Hindostan,  the  cruel  rites  of  Juggernaut, 
the  exposing  of  the  sick  and  dying  on  the  banks  of  the 
Ganges,  the  murder  of  infants,  the  infernal  sacrifices  of 
the  Mexicans,  the  making  of  children  pass  through  the 
fii'e  to  Moloch,  the  human  butcheries  which  are  perpe- 
trated in  almost  every  Pagan  land  to  appease  imagi- 
nary deities,  the  abominations  of  the  ancient  Canaan- 
ites,  the  murders  and  obscenities  of  the  South  Sea  Isl- 
anders, the  degradation  of  intellect  which  is  found  in  ev- 
ery heathen  country,  and  the  innumerable  vices  and 
moral  pollutions  of  all  descriptions  which  abound 
among  the  tribes  and  nations  that  are  ignorant  of  the 
living  and  true  God.  So  that  idolatry  may  be  consid- 
ered as  a  comprehensive  summary  of  every  species  of 
malignity,  impiety,  and  wickedness. 

It  was  for  this  reason  that  the  children  of  Israel  were 
separated  from  the  nations  around,  and  so  strictly  in- 
terdicted from  the  least  intercourse  or  communion  with 
idolaters.  So  "jealous"  was  the  God  of  Israel  in  re- 
ference to  idolatry,  that  the  least  approach  to  such  wor- 
ship, either  in  word  or  action,  or  even  in  imagination, 
was  pointedly  forbidden  : — "  In  all  things  that  I  have 
said  unto  you  be  circumspect ;  make  no  mention  of  the 
NAME  of  other  gods,  neither  let  it  be  heard  out  of  thy 
mouth.  Thou  shalt  not  bow  down  to  their  gods  nor 
serve  them,  nor  do  after  their  works,  but  thou  shalt  ut- 
terly overthrow  them  and  quite  break  down  their  im- 
ages ;  ye  shall  destroy  their  altars  and  cut  down  their 
groves.  Neither  shalt  thou  make  marriages  with  them  ; 
for  they  will  turn  away  thy  son  from  following  me, 
and  the  anger  of  the  Lord  will  be  kindled  and  destroy 
thee  suddenly."* 

If  idolatry  had  not  been  strictly  forbidden  and  under- 
mined, the  knowledge  and  the  worship  of  the  true  God 
would  never  have   been  established  in  the  earth.     In 

»  Exod.  xxiii.  13,  24,  &c.     Deut.  vii.  3,  «fcc. 


WITH   THE   WORD    OF    GOD.  101 

accordance  with  these  injunctions,  the  first  and  funda- 
mental precept  of  the  moral  law  was  given,  which  has 
a  reference  not  only  to  the  Jews,  but  to  all  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  world,  "  thou  shall  have  no  other  gods  he- 
fore  me ;"  and  the  second,  which  forbids  any  visible 
representations  of  Deity,  has  this  strong  and  impressive 
sanction;  "for  I,  the  Lord  thy  God,  am  a  jealous  God, 
visiting  the  iniquity  of  the  fathers  upon  the  children 
unto  the  third  and  fourth  generation  of  them  that  hate 
me."  For  this  reason  likewise,  the  nations  of  Canaan 
were  devoted  to  utter  destruction.  For  they  not  only 
worshipped  a  multitude  of  strange  gods,  but  offered 
human  victims  on  their  altars,  and  sacrificed  even  their 
sons  and  daughters  to  devils,  and  such  practices  led  to 
adultery,  incest,  sodomy,  bestiality,  and  other  kindred 
crimes,  by  which  these  nations  were  distinguished  ;  so 
that,  by  these  abominations,  they  rendered  themselves 
unworthy  of  a  place  within  the  precincts  of  terrestrial 
existence,  they  were  blotted  out  as  a  stain  upon  the 
creation  of  God  ;  and  their  doom  was  intended  as  an 
awful  warning  to  the  Israehtes  of  the  evil  and  danger 
of  turnmg  aside  from  the  true  God  to  idolatry.  Hence 
the  curses  and  denunciations  that  were  threatened 
against  the  least  tendency  of  the  heart  to  idol-worship. 
"  Cursed  be  the  man  that  maketh  any  graven  or  molt- 
en image,  an  abomination  to  the  Lord,  the  work  of  the 
hands  of  the  craftsman,  and  putteth  it  in  a  secret 
place."  "^very  one  of  the  house  of  Israel  or  of  the 
stranger  that  sojourneth  in  Israel,  who  separateth  him- 
self from  me,  and  setteth  up  his  idols  in  his  heart,  and 
Cometh  to  a  prophet  to  enquire  of  him  concerning  jne, 
I  the  Lord,  will  answer  him  by  myself,  and  I  will  set 
my  face  against  that  man,  and  will  make  him  a  sign 
and  a  proverb,  and  I  will  cut  him  off  from  the  midst  of 
my  people,  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah."* 
Hence  the  punishment  of  death  which  was  uniformly 
denounced  and  inflicted  upon  the  idolater.  "  If  there 
be  found  among  you  man  or  woman  that  hath  gone  and 
served  other  gods  and  worshipped  them,  either  the  sun 

*  Deut.  xxvii*  15.    Ezek.  xiv.  7,  8. 
9* 


IQS  INCONSISTENCY   OF    COVETOUSNESS 

or  moon,  or  any  of  the  host  of  heaven  ;  then  shalt  thou 
bring  forth  that  man  or  that  woman,  who  have  com- 
mitted that  wicked  thing,  unto  thy  gates,  and  shalt 
stone  them  with  stones  till  they  die."*  Such  denun- 
ciations may  be  seen  running  through  the  whole  of  the 
prophetical  writings  in  reference  to  Israel ;  and  almost 
eveiy  judgment  of  God,  either  threatened  or  inlflicted, 
is  ascribed  to  the  abounding  of  idolatry,  and  the  sins 
connected  with  it,  as  its  procuring  cause. 

These  circumstances,  therefore,  may  be  considered 
as  stamping  upon  idolatry  a  higher  degree  of  oppro- 
brium and  malignity  than  upon  any  other  crime ;  and 
consequently,  as  representing  the  idolater,  as  the  most 
depraved  and  degraded  of  human  beings.  We  are, 
therefore,  apt  to  recoil  from  such  a  character,  as  one 
who  labors  under  a  peculiar  mental  and  moral  derange- 
ment, in  virtually  denying  the  first  principle  of  human 
reason,  and  "  the  God  that  is  above" — as  one  whom 
we  would  almost  shudder  to  receive  into  our  compa- 
ny, and  would  think  unworthy  to  enjoy  the  common 
sympathies  of  human  creatures.  But,  wherein  lies  the 
great  difference  between  "the  covetous  man  who  is  an 
idolater,"  and  him  who  falls  down  to  Moloch  or  Jug- 
gernaut, or  worships  the  sun,  and  moon,  and  the  host  of 
heaven  ?  There  is  the  same  mental  derangement,  the 
same  malignity  of  affection,  and  the  same  dethrone- 
ment of  God  from  the  heart,  in  the  fornier  case  as  in 
the  latter,  though  they  are  manifested  by  different 
modes  of  operation.  Let  us  consider,  for  a  little,  the 
resemblance  between  these  two  modes  of  idolatry. 

Covetousness  may  be  considered  in  two  points  of 
view, — as  consisting  either  in  the  inoidinate  love  of 
money  on  its  own  account,  or  in  the  love  of  those  sensi- 
tive gratifications  which  it  procures ;  and  in  both  these 
respects,  it  may  be  shown  to  partake  directly  of  the 
nature  of  idolatry.  In  what  does  the  essence  of  idol- 
atry consist,  but  in  the  estrangement  of  the  heart  from 
God,  and  setting  up,  in  competition  with  him,  any  oth- 
er object,  as  the  supreme  object  of  our  affections  and 

♦  Deut.  xvii.  2,  5. 


WITH    THE    WORD    OF    GOD.  103 

the  alternate  end  of  all  our  pursuits  ?  While  the  pious 
soul  joins  in  unison  with  the  Psalmist  and  says,  "whom 
have  I  in  heaven  but  thee,  O  Lord,  and  there  is  none 
on  earth  that  I  desire  besides  thee  ;"  the  covetous  man 
says  of  gold,  "  thou  art  my  hope,  and  to  the  fine  gold, 
thou  art  my  confidence.  I  rejoice,  because  my  wealth 
is  great  and  my  hands  have  gotten  me  much."  And 
such  mental  idolatry  is  no  less  irrational  and  hateful  in 
the  sight  of  the  Most  High,  than  that  of  the  blinded  pa- 
gan who  prostrates  himself  before  a  block  of  wood  or 
the  figure  of  a  crocodile. 

Pagan  idolatry  consists  either  in  worshipping  the 
sun,  moon,  or  stars,  or  in  paying  homage  to  a  statue  of 
gold  or  silver,  brass  or  stone.  Mental  idolatry  consists 
in  paying  a  similar  homage  to  gold  and  silver,  either 
abstractly  considered,  or  to  those  sensual  objects  and 
pleasures  which  they  are  the  means  of  procuring.  The 
idolater  bows  down  before  the  shrine  of  a  splendid  im- 
age ;  perhaps  one  formed  of  the  richest  materials,  such 
as  the  golden  image  set  up  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  in  the 
plain  of  Dura,  which  was  ninety  feet  high,  and  con- 
tained a  thousand  Babylonish  talents  of  gold,  or  about 
four  milHons  of  British  money.  To  this  splendid  im- 
age, he  pays  his  homage  in  the  midst  of  assembled 
multitudes,  and  at  the  sound  of  the  cornet,  flute,  harp, 
sackbut,  psaltery,  dulcimer,  and  all  kinds  of  music. 
The  glittering  pomp  and  splendor  of  such  a  scene,  fas- 
cinates his  affections  and  overpowers  his  reason,  so  that 
he  may  be  led  for  a  moment  to  imagine  that  it  is  a  fit 
representation  of  the  unknown  God.  But  the  cove- 
tous idolater  worships  an  image,  or,  an  imaginary  idea, 
still  more  degrading.  He  adores,  or,  in  other  words, 
he  concentrates  his  affections  upon  a  circular  piece  of 
gold  which  he  can  carry  in  his  pocket,  or  a  thousand 
such  pieces  tied  up  in  a  bag,  or  locked  in  his  cofl^ers. 
On  such  objects  his  mind  incessantly  broods,  even  when 
they  are  not  present  to  his  senses  ;  and  when  he  is  de- 
prived of  them  by  any  accident,  he  is  overwhelmed 
with  anguish,  and  exclaims  in  despair,  "  my  gods  are 
taken  away,  and  what  have  I  more."  There  can  be 
no  essential  difference  between  gold  and  silver  shaped 


104  INCONSISTENCY   OF    COVETOtJSNESS 

into  statuary,  adorned  with  splendid  trappings,  and  set 
up  for  the  worship  of  pagan  nations,  and  the  same  met- 
als shaped  into  the  form  of  guineas,  crowns  and  dollars, 
to  which  a  similar  homage  is  paid  by  the  inhabitants 
of  an  enlightened  land.  The  forms  of  the  idol,  and  the 
modes  of  adoration  are  somewhat  different,  but  the 
idolatry,  in  all  its  main  points  and  bearings,  is  substan- 
tially the  same.  Which  of  thesse  species  of  idolatry, 
then,  is  most  irrational  and  debasing  ?  There  can  no 
apology  whatever  be  made  for  idol-worship,  in  any 
shape  or  under  any  circumstances.  But,  in  the  case 
of  the  pagan  idolater,  there  may  be  certain  extenuating 
circumstances.  The  ignorance  and  superstition  in 
which  he  has  been  trained  from  early  life,  the  opinions 
of  his  relatives  and  of  society  around  him,  the  strong 
prejudices,  and  the  numerous  associations  connected 
with  the  religion  of  his  country,  the  importance  he  has 
been  taught  to  attach  to  his  superstitious  rites,  and  the 
apparent  splendor  of  the  idol  he  adores,  and  of  the  cer- 
emonies connected  with  its  worship,  might  lead  us  to 
commiserate,  while  we  cannot  but  condemn,  the  idola- 
trous heathen.  We  might  almost  cease  to  wonder, 
that  a  rude  savage  should  mistake  the  glorious  sun  in 
the  firmament  for  his  Almighty  Maker,  and  the  silver 
moon  and  the  radiant  stars  for  the  ministers  of  his  king- 
dom. When  we  consider  the  splendors  they  exhibit, 
the  light  they  diffuse,  and  the  general  utility  of  their  in- 
fluence on  terrestrial  objects,  we  can  scarcely  be  sur- 
prised that  fallen  reason  should  have  mistaken  them 
for  their  Divine  Original.  But  what  sympathy  can  we 
feel,  or  what  apology  can  we  make  for  those  who  are 
trained  in  a  civilized  and  Christian  country,  who  are 
freed  from  Pagan  prejudices,  who  have  the  free  use  of 
their  reasoning  powers,  and  who  have  been  instructed 
in  the  existence  and  attributes  of  an  Almighty  and 
Eternal  Being ;  and  yet  practice  an  idolatry,  even  more 
degrading  than  that  of  the  Lama  of  Thibet,  or  of  the 
most  untutored  savage  ?  "  Be  astonished,  O  ye  heav- 
ens at  this,  and  be  ye  horribly  afraid  !  For  my  peo- 
ple (saith  God)  have  forsaken  the  fountain  of  living  wa- 
ters,— hewn  out  to  themselves  broken  and  empty  cis- 
terns, and  have  gloried  in  their  shame." 


WITH    THE    WORD    OF    GOD.  105 

The  Other  species  of  covetousness — namely,  that 
which  consists  in  gratifying  the  lust  of  the  flesh  and  the 
pride  of  life,  while  God  is  banished  from  the  heart, 
partakes  no  less  of  the  nature  of  idolatry,  than  that 
which  consists  in  the  love  of  money,  abstractly  consid- 
ered. He  who  is  incessantly  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of 
money  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  the  extent  of  his 
property,  living  in  luxury  and  splendor,  dashing  along 
in  his  chariot,  holdinoj  intercourse  with  the  his/her  ranks 
of  society,  spending  his  time  in  fashionable  diversions, 
or  in  laying  up  a  fortune  for  his  descendants,  to  render 
them  independent,  while  he  has  no  higher  ends  or  aims, 
is  as  much  an  idolater  as  the  votary  of  Bacchus,  or  the 
worshipper  of  Baal.  For,  if  such  pursuits  be  consid- 
ered as  the  great  ends  of  our  existence  ;  if  they  occupy 
the  greatest  share  of  our  thoughts  and  affections ;  if 
our  chief  happiness  is  placed  on  the  enjoyments  they 
afford  ;  if  every  thing  else  is  estimated  only  in  so  far  as 
it  contributes  to  such  ends,  and  "  if  we  trust  in  the  abun- 
dance of  our  riches,  and  make  not  God  our  confidence," 
we  frustrate  the  great  ends  for  which  we  were  brought 
into  existence,  and  are  guilty  of  every  thing  that  enters 
into  the  essence  of  idolatry.  The  first  duty  of  every 
rational  creature  is  to  love  God  supremely  and  affec- 
tionately, to  render  him  the  highest  homage  of  our 
hearts,  and  to  serve  him  throughout  every  period  of  our 
existence,  in  preference  to  every  other  object  or  being. 
In  this  manner  we  testify  that  he  is  Divinely  Great  and 
Excellent,  worthy  of  our  highest  reverence  and  regard, 
and  that  we  are  under  obligations  to  Him  for  every 
enjoyment  we  possess.  Angels,  and  the  holy  inhabit- 
ants of  all  worlds,  are  obedient  to  his  laws,  and  make 
his  glory  the  great  end  of  all  their  actions.  They  bow 
in  cordial  submission  to  his  allotments,  "they  do  his 
pleasure  and  hearken  to  the  voice  of  his  word,"  and 
he  is  the  supreme  object  of  their  affection  and  adora- 
tion. But,  when  we  permit  any  other  object  to  occu- 
py our  supreme  regard,  aff*ection  or  esteem,  we  virtu- 
ally dethrone  Jehovah  from  our  hearts,  and  banish  him 
from  his  own  universe.  "  If  we  make  gold  our  hope, 
and  fine  gold  our  confidence,"  if  the  favor  of  the  great, 


106  INCONSISTENCY    OF    COVETOUSNESS 

the  honor  that  cometh  from  men,  the  vain  pageantry 
of  life,  the  richness  of  our  dress,  the  elegance  of  our 
furniture,  the  independence  of  our  fortune,  and  the 
greatness  of  the  inheritance  we  provide  for  our  chil- 
dren, are  the  objects  that  stand  highest  in  our  affec- 
tions ;  these  are  the  gods  at  whose  shrine  we  worship, 
and  whose  attributes  we  adore.  In  so  doing,  we  are 
guilty  of  the  grossest  falsehood;  for  we  practically 
deny  that  Jehovah  is  possessed  of  those  attributes,  which 
demand  the  highest  tribute  of  homage  and  affection 
from  his  intelligent  offspring.  We  are  guilty  of  injus- 
tice ;  for  we  violate  the  rightful  claim  of  the  Deity  to 
the  obedience  of  rational  agents,  and  render  to  crea- 
tures the  service  and  regard  which  is  due  to  Him 
alone.  We  are  guilty  of  the  basest  ingratitude  ;  for, 
to  his  Power  and  Wisdom  we  owe  our  very  existence, 
and  to  his  boundless  Benevolence,  all  the  rich  variety 
of  comforts  we  enjoy.  In  short,  by  such  conduct,  we 
give  evidence  that  pride,  rebellion,  selfishness,  hatred 
of  moral  excellence,  and  all  their  kindred  emotions 
rankle  in  our  breasts,  and  sway  their  sceptre  over  all 
our  moral  faculties. 

This  sin  is  not  only  peculiarly  malignant  in  itself,  but 
lies  at  the  foundation  of  every  other  species  of  impiety 
and  wickedness.  The  commencement  of  moral  turpi- 
tude in  any  intelligent  being,  wherever  existing  through- 
out creation,  is  found  in  the  alienation  of  the  heart  from 
God,  and  the  preference  of  any  other  object  to  the 
Eternal  Jehovah.  Hence  the  fall  of  Lucifer,  and  the 
malignity  of  his  designs,  and  the  dismal  effects  which 
have  followed  in  the  moral  order  of  our  terrestrial  sys- 
tem ;  and  hence  the  anxiety  which  this  arch  enemy  of 
the  moral  universe  displayed  in  order  to  tempt  the 
Saviour  of  the  world  to  covetousness,  ambition,  and  dis- 
trust in  the  care  of  Divine  Providence.  In  proportion 
as  this  spirit  prevails  will  wickedness  of  every  kind 
reign  triumphant.  Wherever  God  is  acknowledged, 
and  loved,  and  adored,  all  divine  virtues  flourish  and 
shed  their  benign  influence.  But  wherever  the  affec- 
tions are  alienated  from  the  original  source  of  felici- 
ty, every  heavenly  virtue  declines  and  dies,  and  its 


WITH    THE    WORD    OF    GOD.  107 

place  is  usurped  by  every  species  of  moral  abomina- 
tion. 

Hence  the  monstrous  iniquities  and  cruelties,  flow- 
ing from  their  religion,  which  have  distinguished  every 
nation  of  the  heathen  world.  As  they  had  gods  of  all 
descriptions  and  characters;  as  almost  eveiy  being, 
real  or  imaginary,  was  included  in  the  list  of  deities ; 
as  every  degree  of  stupidity,  folly,  impurity,  revenge, 
and  other  species  of  moral  turpitude,  was  attributed  to 
such  beings, — so  the  moral  conduct  of  their  votaries 
corresponded  with  the  character  of  the  idols,  at  whose 
shrines  they  paid  their  adorations.  Hence  the  unnat- 
ural cruelties  connected  with  their  worship  ;  the  vari- 
ous species  of  torture  enjoined  for  obtaining  remission 
of  sins ;  the  thousands  of  human  victims  which  have 
bled  and  are  still  sacrificed  on  their  altars  ;  the  murder 
of  female  infants  as  soon  as  they  breathe  the  vital  air ; 
the  burning  of  widows  on  the  bodies  of  their  deceased 
husbands  ;  the  crushing  to  death  of  the  worshippers  of 
Juggernaut,  and  the  want  of  humanity  and  natural  af- 
fection which  form  a  striking  characteristic  of  the  rites 
of  Paganism.  Hence  the  spirit  of  daring  falsehood 
displayed  in  their  lying  oracles  and  modes  of  divina- 
tion, their  pretended  cures  of  diseases,  their  selection 
of  human  victims,  their  representations  of  the  future 
world,  their  fallacious  predictions,  dreams,  and  visions, 
which  pervade  the  whole  of  their  mysteries  and  sys- 
tems of  mythology.  Hence  the  obscene  pollutions  and 
abominations  incorporated  with  the  ceremonies  of  idol- 
atry, by  which  both  matrons  and  virgins,  with  the  most 
revolting  rites,  are  consecrated  in  an  idol-temple,  to  a 
life  of  impurity  and  prostitution ;  and  hence  the  wars 
of  revenge  and  devastation,  with  all  the  enormities, 
immoralities,  and  revolting  atrocities,  which  have  follow- 
ed in  their  train. 

Now,  the  idolatry  of  covetousness  ;  as  having  its  or- 
igin in  the  same  alienation  from  God,  and  the  same 
depravity  of  the  affections,  is  the  source  of  similar  evils 
and  immoralities,  wherever  its  influence  extends,  as 
appears  from  certain  facts  and  illustrations  already  sta- 
ted, and  which  I  shall  more  particularly  elucidate  un- 


108  INCONSISTENCY    OF    COVETOUSNESS 

der  another  department  of  this  subject.  When  the 
objects  on  which  the  mind  is  fixed,  are  low,  debased, 
and  impure  ;  and  when  they  are  connected  with  pride, 
falsehood,  ingratitude,  inhumanity  and  injustice,  being 
destitute  of  higher  conceptions  and  nobler  aims,  it  con- 
forms all  its  views  and  affections  to  the  character  of 
such  objects,  and,  therefore,  nothing  can  flow  forth  in 
the  conduct  but  what  is  immoral  and  impure.  God  is 
the  sun  of  the  human  soul,  and  of  every  intelligent  be- 
ing. Wherever  he  displays  his  radiance,  there  is  moral 
day,  spiritual  life,  and  holy  energy ;  and,  under  his 
quickening  beams,  every  divine  virtue  springs  up  with 
vigor  and  beauty.  But,  where  the  light  of  this  Divine 
Luminary  is  excluded,  and  the  eyes  of  the  understand- 
ing shut  to  its  glorious  excellencies,  darkness  and  deso- 
lation ensue  ;  a  moral  winter  chills  every  faculty,  and 
the  genuine  fruits  of  righteousness  can  never  appear. 
And  hence  the  world  has  become  little  else  than  a  sub- 
urb of  Pandemonium,  the  greater  part  of  its  inhabit- 
ants "  being  filled  with  all  unrighteousness,  fornication, 
wickedness,  maliciousness,  envy,  deceit,  and  malignity  ;" 
and  bearing  the  character  of  "  backbiters,  haters  of 
God,  proud,  boasters,  covenant-breakers,  inventors  of 
evil  things,  disobedient  to  parents,  without  natural  af- 
fection, implacable,  and  unmerciful.  Who  knowing  the 
judgment  of  God  ;  that  they  who  do  such  things  are 
worthy  of  death,  not  only  do  the  same,  but  have  pleas- 
ure in  them  that  do  them." 

Again,  covetousness  hears  another  resemblance  to 
idolatry,  in  that  it  is  essentially  connected  with  Athe- 
ism. 

Idolatry,  strictly  speaking,  is  not  atheism  ;  for  it  re- 
cognizes the  existence  of  superior  beings  as  the  objects 
of  adoration.  But,  although  in  theory,  there  appears 
a  shade  of  difference,  it  is  substantially  the  same,  as  to 
all  its  practical  results.  For,  in  banishing  the  idea  of 
the  true  God  from  the  understanding  and  the  affec- 
tions, it  virtually  deposes  the  Divinity  from  the  uni- 
verse ;  and  all  the  immoralities  and  enormities  which 
would  flow  from  atheism,  were  its  influence  universal, 
result    from  heathen  idolatry,  wherever  it  abounds. 


WITH    THE    WORD    OF    GOD.  109 

The  same  thing  may  be  said  of  covetousness:  it  is  vir- 
tually, and  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  a  species  of 
atheism.  For,  if  atheism  throws  off  all  confidence  in 
God,  and  trust  in  his  Providence,  so  does  covetousness 
in  all  its  multifarious  transactions.  Look  at  the  man 
whose  highest  object  it  is  to  make  a  fortune,  and  to  fill 
his  coffers  with  gold.  He  devotes  his  time,  his  affec- 
tions, the  powers  of  his  understanding,  and  his  acquired 
knowledge  and  experience,  ^\ith  a  steady  and  perse- 
vering aim  to  secure  this  ultimate  end.  He  sits  all  day 
long  in  his  shop  or  counting  house,  poring  over  his 
ledgers,  examinmg  his  bills  and  securities  with  unre- 
mitting attention  ;  devising  plans  of  profit,  selecting 
every  mean  that  ingenuity  can  suggest,  and  seizing  on 
every  opportunity,  however  deceitful  the  means  em- 
ployed, for  driving  a  profitable  bargain,  and  increasing 
his  store.  No  hopes  transport  him  but  the  prospect  of 
gain,  and  no  fears  torment  him  but  the  risk  of  loss,  ex- 
cept, perhaps,  the  chance  of  accidents  or  the  fear  of 
death.  When  he  has  placed  his  treasures  in  proper 
security,  whether  in  his  bags  or  coffers,  in  the  bank  or 
the  stocks,  in  title  deeds  or  books  of  registration,  he 
feels  himself  as  independent  upon  God,  and  the  move- 
ments of  his  Providence,  as  if  a  Supreme  Moral  Gov- 
ernor had  no  existence.  Without  such  securities,  he 
feels  no  more  dependence  on  an  Invisible  Power,  than 
the  confirmed  and  avowed  atheist.  I  appeal  to  every 
one  who  knows  the  world,  and  to  the  consciences  of 
multitudes,  if  there  are  not  thousands  of  characters  of 
this  description  in  the  church,  the  state,  and  every  de- 
partment of  the  commercial  world.  And  what  is  the 
great  difference  between  such  dispositions  and  conduct, 
and  downright  atheism  ?  Suppose  the  idea  of  a  Deity 
to  be  a  mere  chimera,  and  the  notion  of  his  existence 
forever  banished  from  their  thoughts,  would  their  con- 
duct be  much  altered,  or  would  it  be  altered  in  the 
least  ?  except  perhaps  that  they  would  deem  it  unne- 
cessary, in  compliance  with  custom,  to  attend  the  ex- 
ternal forms  of  worship.  Would  they  be  more  grip- 
ing, deceitful  or  penurious,  more  eager  and  perseve- 
ring to  lay  up  treasures  on  earth,  and  to  add  house  ta 
10 


110  INCONSISTENCY    OF    COVETOUSNESS 

house  and  field  to  field,  or  trust  more  confidently  in 
their  riches,  or  feel  more  independent  of  a  Supreme 
Being,  than  they  do  at  present  ?  It  cannot  be  suppo- 
sed ;  for  they  have  already  carried  these  propensities 
and  practices  to  the  highest  pitch,  which  their  ingenui- 
ty and  energies  would  permit ;  and  therefore,  the  ex- 
istence or  non-existence  of  the  Deity  may  be  consider- 
ed, in  relation  to  such  characters,  as  a  matter  of  mere 
indifference.  Their  weakh  stands  to  them  in  the  place 
of  God,  on  which  they  depend,  and  to  which  they  look 
as  the  fountain  of  their  enjoyments,  and  the  foundation 
of  all  theu'  future  prospects,  both  for  themselves  and 
their  descendants.  Even  although  the  whole  course  of 
nature  were  deranged,  the  earth  turned  into  a  dry  and 
parched  desert,  "  the  Avindows  of  heaven"  never  open- 
ed to  pour  down  fruitfulness  upon  the  earth,  and,  con- 
sequently, money  cease  to  be  of  any  (itiUty  for  procu- 
ring the  means  of  enjoyment ;  still,  such  are  the  asso- 
ciations connected  with  this  irrational  propensity,  that 
they  would  cling  to  gold  and  silver,  and  houses  and 
landed  property  as  their  darling  object,  "  their  high  tow- 
er and  rock  of  defence." 

The  same  things  may  be  affirmed  in  regard  to  those 
who  covet  money  for  the  sole  purpose  of  self-gratification, 
and  indulging  in  luxury  and  sensual  enjoyments.     They 
drink  of  the  streams,  but  forget  the  fountain.     They 
store  up  from  the  rich  abundance  of  nature,  whatever 
treasures  they  can  collect  for  contributing  to  their  splen- 
dor and  giving  a  relish  to  the  pleasures  of  iheir  senses ; 
but  they  forget  the  benevolent  operations  of  Him  "who 
giveth  rain  from  heaven  and  fruitful  seasons,  and  filleth 
the  hearts  of  men  with  food    and  gladness."     They 
buoy  themselves  up  with  the  idea  that  their  own  wealth 
and  power  and  influence  have  procured  them  these  en- 
joyments, while  they  regard  not  the  Hand  and  Power 
of  that  Almighty  Being  who  superintends  the  minutest 
agencies  of  the  material  system,  and  wiio  ''  giveth  to 
all,  life  and  breath  and  all  things."     They  enjoy  the 
c'bmforts  of  splendid  mansions,  and  delightful  gardens: 
they  rehsh  the  juice  of  the  strawberry,  the  peach,  and 
the  nectarine,  and  regale  themselves  with  the  fruit  of 


WITH    THE    WORD    OF    GOD.  Ill 

the  vine  ;  but  to  Him  "  who  giveth  them  all  things  rich- 
ly to  enjoy,  and  to  the  intimations  of  his  will,  they  pay 
no  more  regard  than  they  do  to  a  breath  of  wind,  or 
to  what  is  going  on  in  the  upper  regions  of  the  atmos- 
phere. Now,  what  would  be  the  difference,  in  the 
feelings  and  practice  of  such  persons,  although  it  could 
be  proved  to  a  demonstration  that  a  Supreme  and 
Eternal  Mind  had  no  existence  ?  Although  the  world 
had  sprung  from  a  fortuitous  concourse  of  atoms,  and 
were  going  forward  through  interminable  changes  with- 
out the  direction  and  control  of  an  all-pervading  Spirit, 
and  although  every  individual  were  to  consider  himself 
as  a  part  of  an  independent  system  of  material  exist- 
ence unconnected  with  mind  or  moral  error,  would 
there  be  less  of  true  adoration  or  gratitude  to  an  in- 
visible Creator,  or  less  reliance  on  a  superintending 
Providence,  in  the  case  of  such,  than  there  is  at  pres- 
ent ? '  AVould  the  hunter  after  places  and  pensions  be 
more  keen  in  his  aspirations  after  posts  of  opulence  and 
honor  ?  Would  the  gambler  be  more  eager  in  pros- 
ecuting his  demoralizing  pursuits  ?  Would  the  pride  of 
rank  and  dress  and  equipage  be  carried  to  a  higher 
pitch  than  it  now  is  ?  Would  the  votary  of  fashiona- 
ble dissipation  pursue  his  giddy  course  with  more  rapid- 
ity and  vehement  desire  ?  Would  there  be  more  horse 
racing,  cock-fighting,  hounding,  balls,  masquerades,  and 
other  frivolous  and  vicious  diversions,  or  less  money  be- 
stowed by  those  who  are  absorbed  in  such  entertain- 
ments for  the  relief  of  the  widow  and  the  orphan,  for 
the  propagation  of  religion,  and  for  the  general  improve- 
ment of  mankind  ?  We  have  no  reason  to  believe 
that  any  essential  difference  would  be  perceptible  in 
the  general  pursuits  of  the  worldlings  to  whom  I  allude. 
For,  as  it  is  evident,  from  their  governing  disposition, 
and  the  general  train  of  their  conduct,  that  "  God  is  not 
in  all  their  thoughts,"  that  "  they  live  without  God  in 
the  world,"  and  that  many  of  them  have  already  "  run 
to  the  utmost  excess  of  riot,"  and  licentiousness — so  we 
have  no  valid  reason  to  conclude,  that  any  considerable 
change  would  take  place,  although  they  acted  on  the 
full  belief,  that  the  visible  world,  and  its  several  ele- 


112  INCONSISTENCY    OF    COVETOUSNESS 

mentary  parts  are  all  that  we  have  to  do  with,  and  all 
all  that  exists  in  the  universe. 

In  the  train  of  thought  and  action  of  such  individu- 
als, there  is  a  certain  resemblance  to  the  atheism,  (if  I 
may  so  express  it)  of  the  inferior  animals.  "  The  hart 
panteth  after  the  brooks  of  water,  and  quenches  its 
thirst  at  the  flowing  stream ;  the  ox  browses  on  the 
grass,  and  lies  down  and  ruminates,  till  he  is  satisfied  ; 
the  lion  roars  after  his  prey  ;  the  goats  clamber  among 
the  high  hills  and  rocks,  the  wild  deer  gambol  through 
the  lawn  and  forests,  and  the  fowls  of  heaven  wing 
their  flight  through  the  air,  and  rejoice  to  perch  and 
"  sing  among  the  branches." 

In  such  gratifications  and  exercises,  every  sentient 
being  finds  its  peculiar  enjoyment,  and  looks  no 
higher  when  its  wants  are  supplied  and  its  senses  grati- 
fied. The  worldling,  too,  finds  enjoyment  in  the  exer- 
cise of  his  physical  powers,  and  in  the  rich  and  diver- 
sified bounties  of  nature  ;  and  the  keenness  with  which 
he  rushes  forward  to  participate  of  his  viands,  his  deli- 
cious wines  and  other  sensual  pleasures,  bears  a  certain 
resemblance  to  that  of  the  inferior  tribes  when  they 
rush  to  their  peculiar  food  or  beverage  and  satiate  their 
desires.  But,  in  both  cases,  the  physical  materials  of 
the  enjoyment,  or  the  pleasures  arising  from  the  adap- 
tation of  the  senses  to  the  objects  of  external  nature, 
are  all  that  they  recognise  ;  while  the  Great  Author  of 
their  enjoyments  is  unheeded  and  unacknowledged. 
In  the  one  case,  it  is  owing  to  the  want  of  faculties 
capable  of  appreciating  the  existence  and  character  of 
a  Supreme  Benefactor,  in  the  other,  to  the  perversion 
of  rational  powers  adequate  for  tracing  every  comfort 
to  its  original  source.  The  one,  from  the  original 
constitution  of  its  nature,  is,  so  far  as  we  know,  inca- 
pable of  perceiving  or  acknowledging  God  ;  the  other 
"  does  not  like  to  retain  God  in  his  knowledge."  He 
might  raise  his  thoughts  to  his  Almighty  Benefactor,  if 
he  chose,  and  acknowledge  his  bounty  ;  but  he  chooses 
to  shut  his  eyes  to  the  evidences  of  his  unceasing  agen- 
cy and  beneficence,  and  to  harden  his  heart  against 
him.     Though  he  has  been  endowed  with  more  knowl- 


WITH  f  HIT  WORD    OF  GOD.  113 

edge  than  the  beasts  of  the  field,  and  made  wiser  than 
the  fowls  of  heaven,  yet  his  superior  powers  have  car- 
ried him  no  nearer  to  the  fountain  of  happiness,  than 
the  instinct  of  the  brutes.  In  short,  his  atheism  is 
nearly  as  complete  as  theirs — with  this  difference,  that 
while  they  fulfil  their  destination  and  act  up  to  the  con- 
stitution of  their  natures,  he  degrades  the  moral  and 
intellectual  faculties  with  which  he  is  invested,  by  ren- 
dering them  instrumental  for  promoting  sensuality  and 
alienating  his  heart  from  God.  What  a  pitiful  picture 
does  this  representation  present  of  the  great  majority  of 
our  species,  and  of  many  even  of  those  who  profess 
the  religion  of  Jesus,  and  who  display  a  fiery  zeal  in 
defence  of  the  Christian  church  !  Alas  !  that  man  who 
is  made  only  a  little  lower  than  the  angels,  and  is  allied 
by  his  intellectual  nature  to  the  highest  orders  of  crea- 
ted beings,  should  thus  pervert  and  prostrate  his  noble 
powers,  in  attempting  to  banish  the  Creator  from  his 
own  universe,  and  to  deprive  him  of  that  gratitude  and 
adoration  which  are  due  from  all  his  rational  offspring  \ 
Such,  however,  is  the  atheism  of  covetousness ;  and 
that  the  conclusions  we  have  deduced  are  not  ground- 
less, appears  from  the  following  passage  of  an  inspired 
writer  :  "  If  I  have  made  gold  my  hope,  or  have  said 
to  the  fine  gold  '  Thou  art  my  confidence ;'  if  I  rejoi- 
ced because  my  wealth  was  great,  and  because  mine 
hand  had  gotten  much, — if  I  beheld  the  sun  when  it 
shined,  or  the  moon  walking  in  brightness  ;  and  my 
heart  hath  been  secretly  enticed,  or  my  mouth  hath 
kissed  my  hand  ;  this  were  an  iniquity  to  be  punished 
by  the  Judge  ;  fo?^  I  should  have  denied  the  God  that 
is  lover 

This  subject  deserves  the  serious  consideration  of 
every  professing  Christian.  Many  who  are  members 
of  the  visible  church,  and  regularly  attend  the  dispen- 
sation of  its  ordinances,  because  they  do  not  run  to  the 
same  excess  in  covetousness  as  others,  or  as  such  char- 
acters as  we  have  alluded  to  above,  are  apt  to  imagine 
that  no  principles  either  of  idolatry  or  of  atheism  lurk 
in  their  hearts.  They  hug  themselves  in  the  belief  that 
they  love  God  and  man,  and  desire  to  deal  justly 
10* 


114  INCONSISTENCY   OF    COVETOUSNESS 

towards  their  neighbors,  while  their  affections  are  alien- 
ated from  God,  and  their  hearts  going  after  their  covet- 
ousness.  "  Their  riches  are  their  strong  city,  and  as 
an  high  wall  in  their  imagination,"  and  their  trust  in 
the  Most  High  extends  no  farther  than  to  the  visible 
means  of  supply  which  they  think  their  own  means 
and  wisdom  and  industry  have  provided.  There  is  no 
mental  propensity,  or  subject,  in  regard  to  which  men 
are  more  apt  to  deceive  themselves  than  that  under 
consideration.  It  is  the  last  thing  a  professed  religion- 
ist will  be  apt  to  suspect,  that  he  is  acting  on  the  princi- 
ples either  of  atheism  or  idolatry ;  and  he  would  con- 
sider it  nothing  short  of  an  insult,  were  even  a  suspi- 
cion to  this  efl'ect  insinuated.  But,  it  becomes  every 
one,  on  this  point,  "  to  search  and  try  his  ways."  Let 
me  ask  you,  O  professor  of  religion,  have  you  never 
come  to  the  house  of  God,  under  the  profession  of 
adoring  his  perfections  and  giving  thanks  at  the  remem- 
brance of  his  mercy  and  goodness,  while,  during  almost 
the  whole  of  the  public  services,  your  thoughts  and 
desires  have  been  wandering  abroad  among  your  shops, 
your  counting  houses, your  ledgers,  your  gains,  your  los- 
ses, your  commercial  projects,  and  other  objects  of  cov- 
etousness,  while  "the  God  in  whose  hands  your  breath 
is,  and  whose  are  all  your  ways,  you  have  not  glori- 
fied," although  "your  hands  were  lifted  up  in  the  sanc- 
tuary ?"  Have  you  not  repeatedly,  yea  times  without 
number,  neglected  to  adore  God  in  your  families,  and 
"  to  show  forth  his  loving  kindness  in  the  morning,"  from 
your  hurry  to  engage  in  the  bustle  of  the  world,  and  in 
the  acquisition  of  gain  ?  Do  you  seldom  or  never  lift 
up  your  hearts  to  God  in  the  midst  of  your  worldly 
business,  and  implore  his  direction,  and  his  assistance 
to  guard  you  from  worldly  mindedness  and  every 
temptation  ?  If  your  conscience  bears  witness  against 
you,  that  such  dispositions  are  indulged,  and  such  duties 
neglected,  you  have  too  much  reason  to  suspect,  that 
your  heart  is  not  right  with  God,  and  that  a  principle 
intimately  connected  with  idolatry,  holds  the  ascen- 
dency over  your  affections.  In  such  a  case,  it  becomes 
every  one  to  exercise  a  holy  jealousy  over  himself,  and 


WITH   THE    WORD    OF    GOD.  115 

to  examine  the  secret  springs  of  his  actions,  lest,  per- 
adventure,  he  may  be  found  among  those  who  are 
*'  without  God  in  the  world."  If  he  is  in  doubt  or  per- 
plexity about  this  important  point,  he  will  apply  to  Him 
"  who  searcheth  the  hearts  and  reins  of  the  children  of 
men,"  and  will  say  with  the  Psalmist,  "  Search  me,  O 
God,  and  know  my  heart ;  try  me  and  know  my 
thoughts,  and  see  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in  me," 
and  diseover  it  to  me,  "  and  lead  me  in  the  way  ever- 
lasting." For  if  the  principles  and  affections  which 
constitute  the  essence  of  idolatry  and  atheism  shall  at 
last  be  found  to  have  pervaded  the  heart,  and  to  have 
been  formed  into  a  habit,  the  doom  which  awaits  the 
idolater  and  the  atheist  will  be  pronounced  by  Him 
w^ho  is  "  a  discerner  of  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the 
heart,"  at  that  solemn  day  when  "  he  shall  come  to 
judge  the  world  in  righteousness." 

Having  dwelt  with  some  particularity  on  the  above 
topic,  I  shall  take  only  a  cursory  view  of  a  few  more 
particulars  connected  with  this  department  of  the  sub- 
ject. 

2.  Covetousness  is  declared  to  form  an  impassable 
harrier  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

"  Be  not  deceived,"  says  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles, 
"  for  neither  fornicators,  nor  idolaters,  nor  thieves,  nor 
covetous,  nor  drunkards,  nor  revilers,  nor  extortioners, 
shall  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God."  This  is  the  law 
of  the  God  of  heaven — a  law  which  is  eternal  and  im- 
mutable— a  law  more  steadfast  and  unalterable  than 
that  of  the  Medes  and  Persians.  The  laws  of  earthly 
sovereigns  may  be  changed,  or  their  designs  frustrated, 
but  the  moral  laws  of  the  Most  High  are  absolutely 
immutable,  and  no  created  being  can  attempt  to  violate 
them,  and  prosper.  As  soon  may  we  expect  to  unhinge 
the  fabric  of  the  universe,  to  toss  from  their  founda- 
tions the  everlasting  mountains,  to  pull  the  sun  from  his 
place  in  the  firmament,  or  to  quench  the  stars  of  heav- 
en in  eternal  night,  as  to  expect  admission  into  the  king- 


116  INCONSISTENCY    OF    COVETOUSNESSf 

dom  of  the  just,  while  covetousness  holds  the  ascen- 
dency over  the  heart.  For  the  declaration  is  express, 
and  is  repeated  in  another  epistle,  and  similar  declara- 
tions are  interspersed  throughout  the  volume  of  inspi- 
ration, that  "  no  covetous  man  who  is  an  idolater  hath 
any  inheritance  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ  or  of  God." 
Now  the  laws  of  God  are  not  to  be  considered  as  the 
dictates  of  an  arbitrary  sovereign,  but  as  founded  on 
the  nature  of  things,  and  the  general  constitution  of  the 
moral  world.  Although  in  some  instances,  we  are  un- 
able to  perceive  the  precise  reason  of  certain  laws  or 
injunctions,  contained  in  Revelation,  yet  we  may  rest 
assured,  that,  in  every  instance,  God  has  the  highest 
reason  for  what  he  declares,  and  for  what  he  does ; 
since  His  wisdom  is  infinite,  and  since  his  eyes  compre- 
hend, at  one  glance,  all  the  objects  and  relations  which 
exist  throughout  the  universe.  In  the  present  case, 
there  are  obvious  reasons  why  the  covetous  must  be 
excluded  from  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

For,  in  the  first  place,  they  are  unqualified  for  its 
enjoyments.  The  pleasures  of  heaven  are  pure  and 
spiritual,  but  the  pleasures  of  the  covetous  are  "  earthly, 
sensual,  and  devilish."  The  pleasures  of  heaven  flow 
from  a  principle  of  universal  benevolence,  which  per- 
vades the  minds  of  all  its  inhabitants,  and  without 
which  it  would  be  a  place  of  misery  ;  but  the  pleas- 
ures of  the  covetous,  if  they  may  be  so  called,  are  de- 
rived from  principles  connected  with  envy,  deceit, 
falsehood,  injustice,  apathy  in  regard  to  the  wants  and 
happiness  of  others,  and  with  almost  every  species  of 
malignity.  It  is  therefore,  impossible  that  covetous 
characters  should  either  contribute  to  the  happiness  of 
fellow-associates  in  the  realms  of  bliss,  or  find  any  en- 
joyment for  themselves  in  the  perpetual  exercise  of 
heavenly  virtues. 

In  the  next  place,  they  are  unqualified  for  engaging  in 
its  employments.  Heaven  being  a  social  state,  and 
consequently,  a  scene  of  moral  action,  its  inhabitants 
are,  of  course,  perpetually  employed  in  beneficent  ser- 
vices corresponding  to  the  nature  and  circumstances  of 
that  happy  world.    As  to  the  nature  of  some  of  these 


WITH    THE    V/ORD    OF    GOD.  117 

services,  and  the  manner  in  which  they  are  performed, 
we  must  necessarily  remain  in  ignorance  in  our  present 
state.  Although,  in  that  world,  there  are  no  poor  to 
be  relieved,  no  sinners  to  be  reclaimed,  nor  distressed 
to  be  consoled — there  are,  doubtless,  innumerable 
ways  in  which  benevolence  exerts  its  noblest  energies, 
in  communicating  happiness  and  augmenting  the  joys 
of  surrounding  associates.  Angels  are  "  ministering 
spirits  "  to  the  saints  on  earth,  and  have,  in  numerous 
instances,  contributed  to  their  preservation  and  com- 
fort ;  and,  in  the  celestial  state,  "  just  men  made  per- 
fect," may,  in  a  thousand  ways  incomprehensible  to  us, 
be  ministering  spirits  to  one  anot'ier.  They  may  de- 
liver lectures  to  each  other  on  the  works  and  the  ways  of 
God — direct  the  attention  of  those  scenes  and  objects  in 
which  the  glory  of  their  Almighty  Creator  is  most  con- 
spicuously displayed — relate  the  histor}^  of  Divine  dis- 
pensations towards  them  in  the  present  state — seize 
upon  every  circumstance  by  which  extatic  joy  may  be 
diffused  throughout  the  hearts  of  each  other  ;  and  as 
knowledge  is  necessarily  progressive,  even  in  that  world, 
and  in  every  region  of  Fiappy  existence,  the  benevolent 
principle  may  be  exercised  in  various  ways  in  commu- 
nicating and  diffusing  it  among  the  numerous  hosts  of 
heavenly  intelligences.  But  in  whatever  benevolent 
services  "  the  saints  in  light "  may  engage,  it  is  evident 
that  the  covetous  are  altogether  unqualified  for  entering 
on  such  employments.  They  are  uncongenial  to  the 
train  of  thought  they  pursue,  and  to  their  leading  dis- 
positions. For  either  selfishness,  apathy,  pride,  sensual 
gratification,  or  other  malignant  propensities  constitute 
the  prominent  features  of  their  character ;  and  as  these 
are  directly  opposed  to  the  benevolence  of  heaven, 
such  predominating  principles  must  render  them  en- 
tirely unfit  for  mingling  in  "  the  general  assembly  of  the 
first  born  whose  names  are  written  in  heaven,"  or  for 
taking  a  part  in  those  labors  of  love  for  which  they  are 
distinguished. 

Some  of  the  other  employments  of  heaven  consist  in 
the  celebration  of  the  divine  perfections.  "  They  wor- 
ship him  who  liveth  forever  and  ever,"  saying, "  Thou  art 


118  INCONSISTENCY    OP    COVETOUSNESS 

worthy,  O  Lord,  to  receive  glory,  and  honor,  and  pow- 
er, for  thou  hast  created  all  things,  and  for  thy  pleasure 
they  are  and  were  created."  They  are  likewise  enga- 
ged in  contemplating  the  glory  of  the  Divine  adminis- 
tration in  the  works  of  creation  and  providence,  for 
such  is  the  subject  of  their  song:  "  Great  and  marvel- 
lous are  thy  works.  Lord  God  Almighty,  just  and  true 
are  thy  ways,  thou  King  of  saints."  But  all  such  sub- 
lime exercises,  being  uncongenial  to  the  ruling  passions 
and  pursuits  of  avaricious  worldlings,  could  afford  them 
no  pleasure  ;  and,  consequently,  for  the  reasons  now 
suggested,  they  must  be  absolutely  unfitted  for  partici- 
pating in  "the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light."  And, 
if  they  are  found  unqualified  for  the  pleasures  and  en- 
joyments of  the  celestial  world,  "  they  cannot,  '  in  the 
nature  of  things,'  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God." 
They  will  be  banished  from  that  blessed  world,  not  in 
consequence  of  any  arbitrary  decree  of  the  Almighty, 
but  in  virtue  of  the  constitution  of  the  intelligent  sys- 
tem, and  the  fundamental  laws  of  the  moral  universe. 
And  the  very  circumstance,  that  they  are  unqualified 
for  relishing  the  exercises  and  felicities  of  the  heavenly 
world,  will  add  a  peculiar  poignancy  to  those  bitter  re- 
flections which  will  be  felt  when  they  find  themselves 
forever  excluded  from  the  New  Jerusalem. 

What  should  we  think  of  the  degraded  worshippers 
of  Juggernaut,  who  prostrate  themselves  before  the 
car  of  that  abominable  idol — of  the  priests  of  Baal  who 
cut  themselves  with  knives  and  lancets  till  the  blood 
gushed  out  upon  them,  and  cried  aloud,  O  Baal,  hear 
us  !  of  the  votaries  of  Moloch  who  threw  their  chil- 
dren into  the  burning  arms  of  their  idol,  while  drums 
beat  and  trumpets  sounded  to  drown  their  cries — of 
the  South  Sea  islanders  who  sacrifice  human  victims  to 
their  wooden  gods,  accompanied  with  rites  the  most 
horrid  and  obscene  ;  what  should  we  think  of  such  de- 
based and  wretched  idolaters,  with  their  minds  polluted 
with  every  moral  abomination,  being  admitted  into  the 
society  of  saints  and  angels  in  the  upper  world  ? 
Would  they  be  fit  companions  of  the  heavenly  inhabit- 
ants, or  could  they  join  with  intelligence  and  fervor  in 


WITH   THE    WORD    OF    GOD.  119 

their  sublime  and  holy  employments  ?  The  supposi- 
tion would  be  utterly  repugnant  to  every  idea  we  ought 
to  form  of  the  associations  of  heavenly  intelligences, 
or  of  the  arrangements  of  the  Divine  government. 
But,  we  have  already  seen,  that  every  covetous  man  is 
an  idolater,  with  a  mind  as  grovelling  and  impure,  as 
that  of  the  votaries  of  Paganism  to  whom  we  have 
alluded,  and,  consequently,  equally  unfitted  for  the  so- 
ciety of  blessed  spirits  in  the  mansions  above. 

The  same  impressive  truth  was  announced  by  our 
Saviour,  when  he  commanded  the  young  man  who  en- 
quired the  way  to  eternal  life,  to  sell  all  that  he  had 
and  give  to  the  poor,  and  come,  and  follow  him !  "  Ve- 
rily I  say  unto  you  that  a  rich  man  shall  hardly  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God."  And  again  ;  "  I  say  unto  you, 
it  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  the  eve  of  a  nee- 
dle, than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
God."  These  declarations  plainly  imply  the  following 
things:  1.  That  a  rich  man,  considered  as  such,  or  as 
it  is  elsewhere  expressed,  one  who  "  trusts  in  his  rich- 
es," cannot  be  admitted  into  the  kingdom  of  God ;  for 
such  a  trust  partakes  of  the  nature  of  idolatry,  which 
necessarily  excludes  its  votaries  from  the  celestial  king- 
dom. 2.  That  it  is  extremely  difficult  for  a  man  who 
abounds  in  weakh,  and  has  large  possessions,  not  to 
trust  in  such  uncertain  riches,  and  to  bring  his  mind  to 
submit  to  the  self-denying  requisitions  of  the  gospel,  so 
as  to  be  ready  to  resign  his  worldly  treasures,  when 
the  laws  of  the  gospel  kingdom  require  it.  The  truth 
of  this  is  apparent  in  the  comparatively  small  number 
of  rich  men  who  have  devoted  themselves  to  the 
cause  of  evangelical  religion,  as  humble  and  self-denied 
followers  of  the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus.  There  are 
men  at  this  moment  in  the  higher  places  of  society, 
abounding  in  riches,  ten  times  more  than  sufficient  for 
all  the  lawful  purposes  of  sensitive  enjoyment,  whom 
it  would  be  as  difficult  to  induce  to  give  the  teiith  part 
of  their  incomes,  for  the  support  and  propagation  of 
true  religion,  as  it  would  be  to  drain  the  caverns  of  the 
ocean,  or  to  hurl  the  mountains  from  their  bases  and  toss 
them  into  the  depths  of  the  seas,  notwithstanding  their 


120  INCONSISTENCY    OF    COVETOUSNESS 

pretended    zeal    for    the    external   interests   of   the 
church. 

Such  is  their  pride,  and  their  attachment  to  the  pomp 
and  splendors  of  wealth,  that  nothing  short  of  Divine 
power  could  detach  their  hearts  from  trusting  in  their 
uncertain  riches,  and  induce  them  "  to  count  all  things 
but  loss  that  they  may  win  Christ."  Such  is  the  pow- 
erful influence  of  wealth  and  external  grandeur  over 
the  human  heart,  that  none  but  those  who  have  attained 
a  strong  and  permanent  conviction  of  unseen  and  eternal 
realities,  can  look  down  upon  them  with  becoming  in- 
difference or  contempt.  And  this  consideration  should 
form  a  powerful  argument  to  the  low^er  ranks  of  socie- 
ty, to  encourage  them  to  submit  with  contentment  to 
the  allotments  of  Providence,  for  their  circumstances 
do  not  expose  them  to  the  same  temptations  as  the  rich 
to  neglect  the  gospel  and  those  things  which  belong  to 
their  eternal  peace.  Were  the  riches,  after  which  they 
are  sometimes  apt  to  aspire,  to  be  granted  them,  it 
might  prove,  as  it  has  often  done,  the  greatest  curse 
that  can  befal  them,  and  lay  the  foundation  of  their 
eternal  ruin.  "  For  they  that  will  be  rich  fall  into 
temptation  and  a  snare,  and  into  many  foolish  and  hurt- 
ful lusts  which  drown  men  in  destruction  and  perdi- 
tion." 


3.  Covetousness  is  inconsistent  with  the  idea  of  our 
being  redeemed  by  the  blood  of  Christ. 

The  apostle  Peter  declares,  in  reference  to  all  Christ- 
ians, that  "  they  are  not  redeemed  with  corruptible 
things,  as  silver  and  gold,  but  with  the  precious  blood 
of  Christ,  as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and  without 
spot."  And  he  brings  forward  this  consideration  as  an 
argument  against  worldly  lusts,  and  in  support  of  uni- 
versal holiness,  that,  "  as  obedient  children,  we  ought 
no  longer  to  fashion  ourselves  according  to  the  former 
lusts  in  our  ignorance  ;  but,  as  he  who  hath  called  us  is 
holy,  so  we  ought  to  be  holy  in  all  manner  of  conver- 
sation." And  Paul,  in  his  epistle  to  the  Galatians,  de- 
clares, that  one  end  of  the  death  of  Christ  is,  "  that  he- 


WITH    THE    WORD    OF    GOD.  121 

might  deliver  us  from  this  present  evil  world  ^^^  and  con- 
sequently, from  all  its  covetous  atfections  and  lusts. 
The  work  of  our  redemption  is  one  of  the  most  aston- 
ishing displays  of  Divine  perfection,  and  the  most  glo- 
rious manifestation  of  Divme  love  towards  the  sons  of 
men.  Preparations  for  its  accomplishment  were  going 
on  in  every  preceding  period  of  the  world.  Prophets, 
in  different  ages,  were  raised  up  to  announce  it ;  the  cer- 
emonial law  was  instituted,  and  thousands  of  victims 
were  slain  on  the  Jewish  altars  to  prefigure  the  suffer- 
ings of  Messiah  and  the  glory  that  should  follow  ;  the 
various  events  of  Providence,  the  rise  of  empires,  the 
fall  of  kings,  and  the  revolutions  of  nations,  were  all 
directed  in  such  a  manner  as  to  accomplish  the  pur- 
poses of  the  Almighty,  and  to  bring  about  that  great 
event — the  death  of  Christ — in  all  the  circumstances 
in  which  it  actually  happened.  Celestial  messengers 
descended  from  heaven. to  earth  to  announce  the  birth 
of  the  Saviour  to  man  ;  a  series  of  august  and  striking 
miracles,  such  as  had  never  before  been  exhibited,  gave 
attestation  of  the  Divine  mission  of  the  promised 
Messiah ;  and  at  length,  our  great  High  Priest  hum- 
bled himself,  and  became  obedient  to  the  death  of 
the  cross,  when  the  sun  was  darkened  in  his  habitation, 
the  earth  did  quake,  the  rocks  rent,  the  vail  of  the  tem- 
-ple  was  rent  in  twain  from  the  top  to  the  bottom,  the 
graves  w^ere  opened  and  many  of  their  inhabitants 
arose  to  hfe.  Our  Redeemer  at  length  burst  the  bonds 
of  death,  arose  to  an  immortal  life,  ascended  to  heaven 
amidst  a  choir  of  angels,  and  is  now  set  down  at  the 
right  hand  of  the  JNlajesty  on  high.  The  great  end  of 
all  these  solemn  preparations  in  prophecies,  in  provi- 
dences, in  sacrifices,  types,  and  shadows,  and  of  the  as- 
tonishing events  which  have  accompanied  and  follow- 
ed the  death  of  Christ,  was  to  counteract  sin  in  all  its 
various  bearings  and  aspects — to  emancipate  the  soul 
from  the  thraldom  of  the  world  and  its  affections  and 
lusts,  and  "  to  purify  "  for  the  service  of  God,  "  a  pecu- 
liar people  zealous  of  good  works." 

Now,  it  is  evident,  that  such  noble  designs  would  be 
entirely  frustrated,  were  a  principle  of  covetousness  to 
11 


12^  INCONSISTENCY   OP    COVETOUSNESS 

to  hold  the  ascendency  over  the  human  mind,  however 
fair  a  character  its  votaries  might  exhibit  in  the  sight  of 
men.  If  we  are  not  determined  to  "  mortify  the  flesh 
with  its  affections  and  lusts,"  and  to  make  God  the  su- 
preme object  of  our  desires  and  aflfections ;  if,  on  the 
contrary,  we  are  determined  to  give  loose  reins 
to  avaricious  propensities,  to  make  wealth  and  gran- 
deur, and  worldly  honors  and  distinctions,  the  chief  ob- 
ject of  our  pursuit,  then  Christ  "  has  died  in  vain  "  with 
respect  to  us,  and  we  have  no  interest,  and  ought  to 
claim  no  interest  in  the  benefits  which  he  died  to  pro- 
cure. It  is  presumption,  in  the  highest  degree,  for 
any  man  to  claim  an  interest  in  the  blessings  of  salva- 
tion, whose  conscience  tells  him  that  this  world  and  its 
enjoyments  are  uppermost  in  his  affections.  For,  can 
we  for  a  moment  suppose,  that  the  Most  High  God 
would  form  a  design  which  is  the  admiration  of  angels, 
that  the  most  solemn  preparations  should  be  made  for 
its  accomplishment,  that  all  the  events  connected  with 
his  moral  administration  should  be  so  arranged  as  to 
have  a  special  bearing  upon  it,  that  the  laws  of  nature 
should  be  suspended  and  controlled,  and  a  series  of  as- 
tonishing miracles  displayed,  that  the  Prince  of  life 
would  suffer  the  agonies  of  an  accursed  death — that 
He  "  who  thought  it  no  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God, 
should  take  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  be- 
come obedient  to  the  death  of  the  cross  ;"  that  angelic 
messengers  should  take  so  deep  an  interest  in  such 
transactions,  and  wing  their  flight  from  heaven  to  earth 
in  embassies  connected  with  such  events — can  we  sup- 
pose, that  such  an  astonishing  train  of  events  would 
have  been  arranged  and  brought  into  effect,  if  a  princi- 
ple, which  above  all  others  has  a  tendency  to  estrange 
the  affections  from  God,  were  to  be  permitted  to  rule 
in  the  human  heart?  The  thing  is  impossible,  and 
therefore,  the  covetous,  whatever  show  of  religion  he 
may  exhibit,  cannot,  with  any  consistency,  lay  claim  to 
any  of  those  eternal  blessings  which  the  Son  of  God 
came  mto  the  world  to  procure ;  since  those  eflfects 
which  his  death  was  intended  to  accomplish,  have  nev- 
er been  produced  on  his  heart. 


WITH    THE    WORD    OF    GOD.  123 


4.  Covetousness  is  inconsistent  with  Love  to  God. 

Love  to  God  is  the  foundation  and  the  first  principle 
of  universal  holiness.  In  every  renewed  soul  it  reigns 
triumphant  and  supreme.  This  holy  affection  includes 
in  it,  reverence,  admiration,  humility,  and  gratitude,  and 
is  uniformly  accompanied  with  adoration  of  the  perfec- 
tions of  God,  and  an  unhmited  dependence  upon  him, 
in  reference  both  to  our  temporal  comforts  and  our 
eternal  destination.  It  pervades  the  hearts  of  all  holy 
beings  wherever  existing  throughout  the  amplitudes  of 
creation,  and  inspires  them  with  permanent  and  raptu- 
rous delight.  It  assimilates  us  to  angels  and  other  pure 
intelligences,  and  prepares  us  for  associating  with  them 
and  bearing  a  part  in  their  labors  of  universal  benevo- 
lence. Hence,  we  find,  that  this  sacred  emotion  has 
formed  the  distinguishing  characteristic  of  the  saints  in 
every  age.  We  find  the  spirit  of  the  Psalmist,  in  his 
devotional  exercises,  continually  rising  to w^ards  God,  as 
his  hope  and  confidence,  and  the  source  of  his  felicity : 
"Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but  thee,  and  there  is  none 
upon  earth  that  I  desire  besides  thee.  As  the  hart 
panteth  after  the  brooks  of  water,  so  my  soul  panteth 
after  thee,  O  God.  My  heart  and  my  flesh  shall  fail, 
but  God  is  the  strength  of  my  heart  and  my  portion 
forever.  He  is  my  refuge  and  my  fortress,  my  God ; 
in  him  will  I  trust.  In  God  is  my  salvation  and  my 
glory ;  the  rock  of  my  strength,  and  my  refuge  is  in 
God.  Who  in  heaven  can  be  compared  with  the  Lord ; 
who  among  the  sons  of  the  mighty  can  be  likened  to 
Jehovah  ?  Behold  as  the  eyes  of  servants  look  to  the 
hands  of  their  masters,  so  our  eyes  wait  upon  the  Lord 
our  God.  My  soul  trusteth  in  thee  ;  yea  in  the  shad- 
ow of  thy  wings  will  I  make  my  refuge  until  these  ca- 
lamities be  overpast.  Blessed  is  the  man  who  maketh 
the  Lord  his  confidence,  and  whose  hope  is  in  the  Lord 
his  God." 

Throughout  the  whole  range  of  Divine  revelation, 
such  sentiments  are  expressed  and  such  affections  dis- 
played by  the  people  of  God.     But,  is  it  possible  to  be 


124  INCONSISTENCY    OF    COVETOrSNESS 

conceived,  that  either  the  niggardly  miser  or  the  vain 
worldling  can  enter  into  the  spirit  of  such  sublime  sen- 
timents, or  elevate  his  soul  to  such  holy  affections,  how- 
ever much  he  may  attempt  to  mimic  the  external  forms 
of  devotion  ?  Though  he  should  affect  humility  by 
bowing  down  his  head  like  a  bulrush,  and  profess  to 
join  in  adoration  of  the  Most  High,  "  in  the  place  of 
the  holy,"  yet  God  is  not  in  all  his  thoughts,  "  and  his 
his  heart  is  still  going  after  his  covetousness."  Those 
eternal  respects  which  are  due  to  God,  and  that  hope 
and  confidence  which  his  people  repose  in  his  perfec- 
tions, are  to  him  altogether  unheeded  and  unknow^n. 
The  world,  with  its  riches  and  splendors,  is  the  deity 
which  he  w^orships,  while  the  attributes  of  the  true  God 
are  seldom  present  to  his  mind.  While  the  true  Christ- 
ian exclaims  with  exultation,  "  Thou  art  my  portion,  O 
Lord,  therefore  will  I  trust  in  thee,"  the  worldling 
overlooks  the  Eternal  Source  of  felicity,  and  "  trusts  in 
the  abundance  of  his  riches."  While  the  Christian 
hopes  in  God  for  every  thing  requisite  to  his  happiness, 
both  in  the  life  that  now  is  and  in  tlie  life  to  come,  the 
worldling  makes  ^^ gold  his  hope,  and  says  of  the  fine 
gold,  '  Thou  art  my  confidence.'  "  While  the  Christian, 
in  the  view  of  every  calamity  that  may  befal  him,  boldly 
declares,  "  God  is  my  refuge  and  strength,  my  high  tow- 
er and  fortress,  a  present  help  in  the  time  of  trouble  ;"" 
on  the  other  hand,  "  the  rich  man's  wealth  is  his  strong 
city,  and  a  high  wall  in  his  own  conceit."  Hence,  the 
love  of  riches,  and  the  love  of  God,  are  altogether  incom- 
patible :  and  hence  the  positive  declarations  and  injunc- 
tions of  scripture  on  this  head  :  "Love  not  the  world,  nei- 
ther the  things  that  are  in  the  world.  Ifamj  man  love  the 
world,  the  love  of  the  Father  is  not  in  him.  For  all  that 
is  in  the  world,  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust  of  the  eyes 
and,  the  pride  of  hfe,  is  not  of  the  Father,  but  is  of  the 
world."  Such  declarations  are  plain  and  explicit,  and 
ought  forever  to  set  at  rest  the  question — whether  cov- 
etousness and  the  love  of  God  be  consistent  w  ith  each 
other  ? — whatever  form,  either  of  avarice  or  ambition, 
the  covetous  principle  may  assume.  And,  if  covetous- 
ness is  inconsistent  w^ith  love  to  God,  it  necessarily  ex- 


WITH   THE   WORD  OF    GOD.  12& 

eludes  those  who  are  under  its  influence  from  a  parti- 
cipation of  the  joys  of  heaven.  For  the  inhabitants  of 
that  world  have  their  minds  completely  pervaded  with 
this  sacred  principle,  in  testimony  of  which,  "  they  cast 
their  crowns  before  the  throne,  saying.  Thou  art  wor- 
thy, O  Lord,  to  receive  glory,  and  honor,  and  power, 
for  thou  hast  created  all  things,  and  for  thy  pleasure 
they  are  and  were  created."  "  Blessing  and  honor 
and  glory  and  power  be  unto  Him  that  sitteth  upon 
the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb  forever  and  ever." 

5.  The  evils  of  covetousness,  and  its  inconsistency 
with  religion  appears  from  the  numerous  cautions  and 
exhortations  delivered  in  Scripture  on  this  subject. 

Our  Saviour  frequently  took  occasion  to  admonish 
his  disciples  and  the  multitudes  who  attended  him,  on 
this  point :  "  Take  heed"  said  he,  "  and  beware  of  covet- 
ousness ;"  and  he  enforces  the  admonition  from  this 
argument.  "For  a  man's  life  consisteth  not  in  the 
abundance  of  the  things  which  he  possesseth  ;"  that  is, 
neither  the  happiness  of  our  present  existence,  nor  the 
continuance  of  that  existence  depends  upon  the  abun- 
dance of  earthly  riches.  For  a  moderate  portion  of 
them  will  suffice  for  all  the  purposes  of  human  enjoy- 
ment :  and  where  great  riches  are  possessed,  they  usu- 
ally bring  along  with  them  encumbrances,  snares,  and 
temptations,  which  foster  vicious  lusts,  and  aflfections,  and 
not  unfrequently  lead  men  into  destruction  and  perdi- 
tion. Besides,  they  form  no  security  against  the  disea- 
ses and  accidents  of  life,  from  which  nothing  can  secure 
us  but  the  providential  care  of  our  heavenly  Father. 
They  cannot  shelter  us  from  the  stroke  of  lightning, 
the  shock  of  an  earthquake,  the  fury  of  a  hurricane  or 
tempest,  from  palsy,  consumption,  sickness,  or  the  hand 
of  death.  In  regard  to  such  accidents  and  diseases, 
the  poor  man  is  as  secure  as  the  rich.  Our  Saviour 
illustrates  this  truth  by  a  very  striking  example  :  "  The 
ground  of  a  certain  rich  man  brought  forth  plentifully ; 
and  he  reasoned  within  himself,  saying,  what  shall  I 
do  ;  for  I  have  not  room  to  store  up  mv  crops.  And 
11* 


136  INCONSISTENCY    OF    COVETOUSNESS 

he  said,  this  will  I  do  ;  I  will  pull  down  my  old  barns 
and  build  larger  ones,  and  there  will  I  bestow  all  my 
fruits  and  my  goods.  And  I  will  say  to  my  soul,  thou 
hast  abundance  of  goods  laid  up  for  many  years,  eat, 
drink,  and  be  merry.  But  God  said  unto  him,  thou 
fool,  this  night  thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee  ;  then 
whose  shall  those  things  be  which  thou  hast  provided  1" 
How  often  is  this  impressive  representation  realized  in 
the  case  of  worldly  men  who  abound  in  wealth  and  are 
not  rich  towards  God  !  How  many  are  there  at  this 
moment  as  deeply  engaged  in  ambitious  schemes  of 
hoardmg  or  aggrandizement  as  the  fool  in  this  parable, 
to  whom  God  will,  in  a  few  weeks  or  months,  or  per- 
haps this  very  night,  declare,  by  the  voice  of  his  Provi- 
dence, "  Thy  soul  is  required  of  thee."  The  sin  of  the 
rich  fool,  denounced  in  this  parable,  did  not  consist  so 
much  in  his  being  a  niggardly  miser,  or  being  altogether 
void  of  charity  to  the  poor ;  for  none  of  these  things 
are  charged  against  him  ;  but  it  consisted  chiefly  in  his 
forgetfulness  of  God,  and  want  of  dependence  upon 
him — in  an  irreligious  presumption  and  confidence  in 
himself,  imagining  that  he  had  a  suflicient  security  in 
his  own  hands  against  the  accidents  and  calamities  of 
hfe,  and  forgetting  that  the  continuance  of  his  existence 
depended  upon  the  will  and  the  power  of  his  Creator. 
This  is  the  natural  tendency  of  riches  when  not  coun- 
teracted by  a  principle  of  religion  ;  and  it  is  this  ten- 
dency which  renders  riches  so  dangerous  to  their  own- 
ers, so  that  a  man  who  has  any  regard  to  his  eternal 
interests,  ought  rather  to  fear  lest  riches  should  be  for- 
ced upon  him,  than  to  make  them  the  object  of  his  pur- 
suit. 

There  are  numerous  injunctions  of  this  kind  inter- 
spersed throughout  the  scriptures ;  but  instead  of  illus- 
trating them  separately,  I  shall  only  select  a  few  passa- 
ges which  bear  upon  this  subject,  recommending  them 
to  the  serious  attention  of  every  professing  Christian. 

The  following  are  some  of  those  passages  which  de- 
nounce the  sin  of  covetousness,  the  vanity  of  riches, 
and  the  dangers  which  attend  them.  "  Beware  that 
thou  forget  not  the  Lord  thy  God  ;  lest  when  thou  hast 


"WITH    THE    WORD    OF   GOD.  127 

eaten  and  art  full,  and  hast  built  goodly  houses,  and  thy 
silver  and  thy  gold  is  multiplied — then  thine  heart  be 
lifted  up,  and  thou  forget  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  say 
in  thine  heart  "  My  power  and  the  might  of  my  hand 
have  gotten  me  this  wealth.  But  thou  shalt  remember 
the  Lord  thy  God,  for  it  is  he  that  giveth  thee  power  to 
to  get  wealth.*  The  wicked  hath  swallowed  down 
riches,  but  he  shall  vomit  them  up  again.  God  shall 
cast  them  out  off  his  belly.  In  the  fulness  of  his  suffi- 
ciency he  shall  be  in  straits ;  when  he  is  about  to  fill 
his  belly,  God  shall  cast  the  fury  of  his  wrath  upon 
him  while  he  is  eating.  Though  he  heap  up  silver  as 
the  dust,, and  prepare  raiment  as  the  clay ;  he  may  pre- 
pare it,  but  the  just  shall  put  it  on,  and  the  innocent 
shall  divide  the  silver.j-  Deliver  my  soul  from  the 
mass  of  the  world  who  have  their  portion  in  this  life. 
Every  man  walketh  in  a  vain  show ;  surely  they  are 
disquieted  in  vain  ;  he  heapeth  up  riches  and  knoweth 
not  who  shall  gather  them.  They  that  trust  in  their 
wealth  and  boast  themselves  in  the  multitude  of  their 
riches,  cannot  by  any  means  redeem  their  brother,  or 
give  to  God  a  ransom  for  him.  Be  not  thou  afraid 
when  one  is  made  rich,  and  when  the  glory  of  his 
house  is  increased  ;  for  when  he  dieth  he  shall  carry 
nothing  away,  his  glory  shall  not  descend  after  him  to 
the  grave.  J  These  are  the  ungodly  who  prosper  in 
the  world  and  increase  in  riches.  Lo  this  is  the  man 
who  made  not  God  his  confidence,  but  trusted  in  the 
abundance  of  his  riches.  If  riches  increase,  set  not 
your  hearts  upon  them.  Riches  profit  not  in  the  day 
of  wrath.  Their  silver  and  their  gold  shall  not  be  able 
to  deliver  them  in  the  day  of  the  wrath  of  the  Lord ; 
they  shall  not  satisfy  their  souls,  neither  fill  their  bow- 
els, because  it  is  the  stumbling-block  of  their  iniquity. 
Wealth  gotten  by  vanity  shall  be  diminished.  There 
is  that  maketh  himself  rich  and  yet  hath  nothing ; 
there  is  that  maketh  himself  poor,  and  yet  hath 
great  riches.     Better  is  a  little  with  the  fear  of  the 


»  Deut.  vii.  11—17.  t  Job  xx.  15, 22,  and  xxvii.  16, 17, 

t  Psalm  xviii,  xxxix,  xlix. 


128  INCONSISTENCY    OF    COVETOUSNESS 

Lord  than  great  treasures  and  trouble  therewith.  An 
inheritance  may  be  gotten  hastily  at  the  beginning,  but 
the  end  thereof  shall  not  be  blessed.  Labor  not  to  be 
rich ;  cease  from  thine  own  wisdom.  Wilt  thou  set 
thine  eyes  upon  that  which  is  not  ?  for  riches  certainly 
make  themselves  wings  and  fly  away.*  There  is  one 
alone,  and  not  another,  yea  he  hath  neither  child  nor 
brother ;  yet  there  is  no  end  of  his  labor,  neither  is 
his  eye  satisfied  w^th  riches  ;  neither  saith  he,  for  whom 
do  I  labor  and  bereave  my  soul  of  good  ;  this  is  also 
vanity.  He  that  loveth  silver  shall  not  be  satisfied 
with  silver,  nor  he  that  loveth  abundance  with  increase. 
Woe  unto  them  that  join  house  to  house,  and  lay  field 
to  field  till  there  be  no  place,  &c.  Let  not  the  wise 
man  glory  in  his  wisdom  neither  let  the  mighty  man  glo- 
ry in  his  might,  let  not  the  rich  man  glory  in  his  rich- 
es. He  that  getteth  riches  and  not  by  right  shall  leave 
them  in  the  midst  of  his  davs,  and  in  the  end  shall  be  a 

fool."t 

"  Lay  not  up  for  yourselves  treasures  on  earth,  where 
moth  and  rust  doth  corrupt  and  where  theives  break 
through  and  steal.  No  man  can  serve  two  masters ; 
ye  cannot  serve  God  and  Mammon.  Take  no  anxious 
thought  for  your  life,  what  ye  shall  eat  or  what  ye  shall 
drink,  nor  yet  for  your  body  what  ye  shall  put  on. 
Woe  unto  you  who  are  rich,  for  ye  have  received  your 
consolation.  Woe  unto  you  that  are  full,  for  ye  shall 
hunger,  w^oe  unto  you  that  laugh  now,  for  ye  shall 
mourn  and  weep.  Verily  I  say  unto  you  that  a  rich 
man  shall  hardly  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 
What  is  a  man  profited,  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole 
world  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  Take  heed  and  beware 
of  covetousness.  Take  heed  to  yourselves  lest  at  any 
time  your  hearts  be  overcharged  with  surfeiting  and 
drunkenness,  and  the  cares  of  this  life,  and  so  that  day 
come  upon  you  unawares.  Labor  not  for  the  meat 
that  perisheth,  but  for  that  meat  which  endureth  to 
everlasting  life."*  '^  Make  no  provision  for  the  flesh  to 
fulfil  the  lusts  thereof.     The  time  is  short ;  it  remaineth 


*  Psalm  lii.  Ixii.     Ezek.  vii.  19.    Prov.  xi.  xiii.  xv,  xx.  &c. 
t  Eccles.  iv.  3 ;  v.  10.     Isa.  v.  8.    Jer.  ix.  23  j  xvii.  U. 


WITH    THE    WORD    OF    GOD.  129 

that  they  who  buy,  be  as  though  they  possessed  not,  and 
they  that  use  this  world  as  not  abusing  it,  for  the  fashion 
of  this  world  passeth  away.  Let  not  covetousness 
be  once  named  among  you,  as  becometh  saints ;  for 
this  ye  know,  that  no  covetous  man,  who  is  an  idola- 
ter, hath  any  inheritance  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ  and 
of  God.  Set  your  affections  upon  things  above,  and 
not  on  things  on  the  earth.  Mortify  therefore  your 
members — inordinate  affection,  evil  concupescence,  and 
covetousness,  which  is  idolatry.  Let  your  conversation 
be  without  covetousness,  and  be  content  with  such 
things  as  ye  have."f  "Love  not  the  world,  neither  the 
things  that  are  in  the  w^orld  ;  if  any  man  love  the  world, 
the  love  of  the  Father  is  not  in  him.  They  that  will 
be  rich,  fall  into  temptation  and  a  snare,  and  into  many 
foolish  and  hurtful  lusts  that  drown  men  in  destruction 
and  perdition.  For  the  love  of  money  is  the  root  of  all 
evil,  which  w^iile  some  coveted  after,  they  have  erred 
from  the  faith,  and  pierced  themselves  through  with 
many  sorrows.  Charge  them  that  are  rich  in  this 
world,  that  they  trust  not  in  uncertain  riches ;  but  in 
the  living  God  who  giveth  us  richly  all  things  to  enjoy. 
Go  to,  now,  ye  that  say.  To-day  or  to-morrow,  we  will 
go  into  such  a  city  and  continue  there  a  year,  and  buy 
and  sell,  and  get  gain  ;  whereas  ye  know  not  what 
shall  be  on  the  morrow ;  for  w^  hat  is  your  life  ?  It  is 
even  a  vapor  that  soon  passeth  away.  Go  to,  now,  ye 
rich  men,  weep  and  howl  for  the  miseries  that  shall 
come  upon  you.  Your  riches  are  corrupted,  your  gold 
and  silver  is  cankered,  and  the  rust  of  tJiem  shall  be 
a  w^itness  against  you,  and  shall  eat  your  flesh  as  it 
were  fire.  Behold,  the  hire  of  the  laborers  which  have 
reaped  down  your  fields,  which  is  of  you  kept  back  by 
fraud,  crieth,  and  the  cries  of  them  who  have  reaped, 
have  entered  into  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  Sabaoth. 
They  are  enemies  of  the  cross  of  Christ,  whose  end  is 


*Matt.  vi.  19;  xvi.  ?6  ;  xix.  21.  Luke  vi.  ^  :  xii.  15:  xxk  34: 
John,  vi.  27. 

t  Rom.  xiii.  14  ;  1  Cor.  vii.  30.  Ephes.  v.  3.  2  Cor.  vi.  10.  Col. 
iii.  2.     Heb.  xiii.  5. 


130  INCONSISTENCY    OF    COVETOUSNESS 

destruction,  whose  God  is  their  belly,  whose  glory  is 
in  their  shame,  who  mind  earthly  things."* 

Such  are  a  few  of  those  Divine  admonitions,  inter- 
spersed throughout  the  scriptures,  both  of  the  Old  and 
New  Testaments,  which  are  addressed  to  us  on  the 
subject  of  covetous  affections  and  worldly  grandeur. 
They  are  the  solemn  and  explicit  declarations  of  Him 
wiW  hath  all  powder  and  authority  in  heaven  and  on 
earth,  and  by  whom  the  actions  of  men  are  weighed  ; 
and,  therefore,  they  ought  to  sink  deep  into  the  heart 
of  every  professor,  of  religion,  and  be  pondered  with  the 
most  prolbund  seriousness  and  attention.  If  they  pro- 
duce a  suspicion  that  the  covetous  principle  lurks  with- 
in, every  one  of  them  ought  to  strike  the  mind,  as  if  it 
were  spoken  from  the  heavens  in  a  peal  of  thunder, 
and  to  alarm  the  convicted  worldling  to  flee  from  the 
wrath  to  come.  For  such  declarations  not  only  set  be- 
fore us  our  duty  in  the  plainest  terms,  but  pronounce 
the  present  and  everlasting  doom  of  every  one  who 
allows  his  affection*  to  be  enthralled  with  the  riches  of 
the  world,  and  who  passes  into  the  eternal  state  under 
their  malign  influence.  In  such  passages  of  sacred 
writ,  the  intimations  of  our  duty  and  our  danger  in  re- 
gard to  wealth,  are  as  clear  and  perspicuous  as  words 
can  make  them,  and  set  aside  every  doubt  in  regard  to 
the  inconsistency  of  covetousness  and  religion.  And, 
therefore,  every  man  who  makes  a  religious  profession, 
if  he  will  but  take  a  moment's  leisure  to  examine  his 
own  heart,  and  his  train  of  affections,  and  to  compare 
them  with  the  declarations  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  holy 
prophets  and  apostles,  will  at  once  perceive  his  true 
state  and  character  before  God.  Yet  it  is  amazing, 
how  easily  men  flatter  and  deceive  themselves  on  this 
point.  Nothing,  perhaps,  is  more  difficult  than  to  make 
an  impression  upon  the  minds  of  those  whose  affec- 
tions have  been  long  riveted  to  earthly  objects.  In 
many  cases,  you  might  as  soon  expect  to  cut  through 
the  Alpine  rocks  with  a  quart  of  vinegar  or  the  stroke 
of  a  razor,  as  to  cut  a  passage  through  the  adamantine 
hearts  of  the  covetous,  by  any  arguments  or  denunci- 

*  1  John  ii.  15.     1  Tim.  vi.  9.    James  iv.  14;  v.  1.    Philip,  iii.  9. 


WITH   THE    WORD    OF    GOD.  131 

ations  which  the  reason  of  man,  or  the  word  of  Gk)d 
can  suggest.  We  have  a  most  striking  example  re- 
corded in  the  Gospel  of  Luke,  of  the  inefficacy  of 
Divine  admonition  and  instruction  on  this  subject,  even 
when  delivered  by  the  highest  authority.  Our  Saviour, 
in  the  presence  of  a  multitude  of  Pharisees,  publicans, 
and  sinners,  spake  a  parable,  intended  to  convince  his 
hearers,  of  the  necessity  of  making  a  right  use  of  their 
worldly  enjoyments ;  and  he  enforced  his  instructions 
by  the  consideration,  that  if  they  should  employ  their 
wealth  in  purposes  of  piety  and  benevolence,  at  the 
hour  of  death,  they  would  receive  their  reward,  in  being 
introduced  "  into  everlasting  habitations."  He  conclu- 
ded his  discourse  with  these  emphatic  words  :  "  No 
man  can  serve  two  masters ;  for  either  he  will  hate 
the  one  and  love  the  other,  or  else  he  will  hold  to  the 
one  and  despise  the  other ;  ye  cannot  serve  God  and 
mammon^  Immediately  after  which,  we  are  told  that, 
"  the  Pharisees  who  were  covetous,  heard  of  all  these 
things,  and  they  derided  himr*  Instead  of  opening 
their  minds  to  receive  the  admortitions  of  heavenly 
wisdom,  which  were  so  appropriate  to  their  characters, 
the  instructions  of  the  divine  Saviour  rebounded  from 
their  hearts,  as  an  arrow  from  a  wall  of  adamant.  In- 
stead of  retiring  to  commune  with  their  own  hearts, 
and  to  reflect  with  seriousness  on  the  admonitions  they 
had  received,  they  sneered  w  ith  contempt  at  the  Great 
Instructor,  as  if  he  had  been  a  visionary  who  did  not 
understand  the  nature  of  human  enjoyments,  and  who 
despised  wealth  only  because  he  could  not  acquire  it. 
They  were  as  fixed  in  their  avaricious  principles  and 
resolutions,  as  a  rock  in  the  midst  of  the  tempest,  and 
were  determined  to  pursue  their  courses  at  all  hazards, 
whatever  might  be  the  consequence  and  they  are  now 
reaping  the  rewards  of  their  unrighteousness.  We 
have  too  much  reason  to  fear  that,  in  the  present  day, 
there  are  in  the  visible  church,  multitudes  of  characters 
as  hardened  in  their  covetousness  as  the  ancient  Phar- 
isees.    And,  therefore,  it  becomes  every  one  to  exer- 

*  See  Luke  xvi.  1—14,  compared  with  chap.  xvii. 


132  INCONSISTENCY    OF    COVETOUSNESS,    &C. 

cise  a  holy  jealousy  over  his  heart  in  regard  to  this  de- 
ceitful, hardening  and  soul-ruining  propensity.  "  For 
many  strong  men  have  been  wounded  and  cast  down  " 
by  it ;  many  who  entered  on  active  life,  giving  high 
hopes  of  their  Christian  attainments,  have,  through  the 
influence  of  worldly  cares,  and  worldly  grandeur, 
made  shipwreck  of  faith  and  of  a  good  conscience,  dis- 
graced their  profession,  conformed  themselves  to  the 
corrupt  maxims  and  pleasures  of  the  world,  and  fallen 
into  many  snares  and  temptations  which  drown  men  in 
destruction  and  perdition.  O  that  every  one  would 
ponder  aright  these  emphatic  words  of  our  blessed  Sa- 
viour :  "  What  shall  it  profit  a  man  if  he  shall  gain 
the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  or  what  shall 
a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  soul." 


CHAPTER  IV 


ON    THE    EVILS    WHICH    FLOW    FROM    COVETOUSNESS. 

While  the  rational  and  pious  distribution  of  wealth 
might  be  made  the  source  of  innumerable  benefits  to 
mankind  ;  the  inordinate  "  love  of  money,"  we  are  told 
"  is  the  root  of  all  evil."  There  is  scarcely  a  moral 
evil  connected  with  the  present  or  past  condition  of  the 
human  race,  but  may  be  traced,  in  a  greater  or  less 
degree,  to  this  unhallowed  affection.  It  has  even  ex- 
erted a  powerful  influence  in  producing  the  greater 
part  of  those  physical  evils  which  are  felt  in  every  land, 
and  among  eveiy  rank  of  society.  Were  we,  there- 
fore, to  attempt  a  full  illustration  of  this  topic,  it  would 
be  requisite  to  take  a  review  of  the  state  of  the  human 
race  in  every  age,  and  to  write  a  history  of  wars  and 
devastations,  and  of  the  animosities  and  contentions,  the 
sorrows  and  sufferings  of  mankind, — so  that,  instead  of 
a  few  pages,  many  volumes  would  be  requisite  for  re- 
cording the  revolting  details.  But,  as  it  is  not  necessa- 
ry in  the  present  essay  to  enter  into  details,  I  shall  ad- 
vert in  a  concise  manner,  only  to  a  few  prominent  par- 
ticulars. 


1.  As  covetousness  naturally  leads  to  dishonesty,  so 
the  covetous  man  is  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  a  thief 
and  a  robher. 

In  the  first  place,  he  robs  his  Maker.     This  might  ap- 
pear a  very  odd  representation,  if  we  had  not  the  au- 
12 


134  ON    THE    EVILS    WHICH    FLOW 

thority  of  God  himself  to  sanction  it.  The  prophet 
Malachi,  in  the  name  of  Jehovah,  accuses  the  people 
of  Israel  with  this  crime.  "  Will  a  man  rob  God  ?  Yet 
ye  have  robbed  me  ;  but  ye  say,  wherein  have  we  rob- 
bed thee  ?  In  tithes  and  offerings  ;  for  ye  have  rob- 
bed me,  even  this  whole  nation."  The  Jews  were 
commanded  to  bring  certain  animals  to  the  altar  of 
burnt  offering,  to  be  slain  as  sacrifices,  and  a  portion  of 
"  the  first  fruits  of  their  increase,"  as  a  testimony  of 
their  dependence  upon  God,  and  their  devotion  to  his 
service,  that  they  might  honor  the  Lord  with  their  sub- 
stance. But,  their  covetousness,  in  many  instances, 
induced  them  to  withhold  the  sacred  tribute ;  and, 
when  they  professed  to  bring  their  offspring  to  his  al- 
tar, instead  of  bringing  the  pure  and  perfect  offerings 
which  the  law  required,  they  offered  polluted  bread 
upon  his  altar,  and  brought  the  bhnd,  the  lame,  and  the 
sick  for  sacrifice,  which  they  would  have  thought  un- 
worthy of  being  presented  to  their  governor.  In  con- 
sequence of  such  conduct,  the  curse  of  God  was  pro- 
nounced on  the  guilty  individuals,  and  on  the  priests 
who  winked  at  such  robbery  and  profanation.     "  Now, 

0  ye  priests,  this  commandment  is  for  you.  If  ye  will 
not  hear,  and  if  ye  will  not  lay  it  to  heart  to  give  glory 
to  my  name,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  I  will  even  send 
a  curse  upon  you,  and  I  will  curse  your  blessings  ;  yea, 

1  have  cursed  them  already,  because  ye  do  not  lay 
it  to  heart.  For  ye  have  profaned  my  name  in  that  ye 
say,  the  table  of  the  Lord  is  polluted,  and  what  ye  of- 
fer thereon,  contemptible.  Ye  brought  also  the  torn, 
the  lame  and  the  sick ;  thus  ye  brought  an  offering ; 
should  I  receive  this  at  your  hand,  saith  the  Lord  ? 
But  cursed  be  the  deceiver  who  hath  in  his  flock  a 
male,  and  voweth  and  sacrificeth  to  the  Lord  a  corrupt 
thing ;  for  I  am  a  Great  King,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts, 
and  my  name  is  dreadful  among  the  heathen."  Such 
were  the  sacrilegious  practices  of  multitudes  of  profes- 
sed worshippers  among  the  Jews,  even  after  they  were 
restored  from  the  Babylonish  captivity;  and  which 
brought  down  upon  their  heads  Divine  judgments,  and 
the  severest  curse  of  the  Most  High. 


FROM    COVETOUSNESS.  135 

The  same  crimes  are  still  prevalent  under  the  Chris- 
tian dispensation,  though  they  assume  a  different  form. 
Both  the  avaricious  miser,  and  the  splendid  worldling, 
rob  God  of  his  offerings,  when  they  withhold  that  por- 
tion of  their  substance  which  he  demands  for  his  wor- 
ship and  service.  It  is  true,  indeed,  that  the  Deity  is, 
and  evev?nust  be  3ihso][ite]y  indepeiident  of  all  his  crea- 
tures, either  in  heaven  or  on  earth.  Our  giving  can- 
not enrich  Him,  nor  our  withholding  impoverish  him. 
All  the  treasures  of  the  universe,  were  created  by  him, 
and  are  subject  to  his  sovereign  disposal.  "Every 
beast  in  the  forest  is  his,  the  fowls  of  the  mountains, 
and  the  cattle  on  a  thousand  hills  ;  for  the  world,"  saith 
Jehovah,  "  is  mine,  and  the  fullness  thereof."  But,  he 
has  given  the  world  we  inhabit,  as  a  gift  to  the  children 
of  men  ;  with  this  reservation,  that,  while  one  portion 
of  its  treasures  is  exclusively  allotted  for  the  enjoyment 
of  man  himself,  and  another  for  the  inferior  animals,  a 
third  portion  is  to  be  applied  for  the  maintainance  of 
the  ordinances  of  religion,  for  diffusing  divine  knowl- 
edge throughout  the  world,  and  for  the  purposes  of 
universal  benevolence.  And,  this  reservation,  so  far 
from  being  a  burden,  or  an  oppressive  tax,  is,  in  reali- 
ty, one  of  the  mediums  through  which  happiness  is 
communicated  and  enjoyed.  When  man  complies 
with  such  a  requisition,  and  acts  uniformly  according 
to  its  spirit,  he  secures  to  himself  the  highest  honor  and 
happiness  of  which  his  nature  is  susceptible.  It  assim- 
ilates him,  in  a  certain  degree,  to  angels  and  the  higher 
orders  of  pure  intelligences,  who  are  continually  em- 
ployed in  acts  of  voluntary  beneficence.  It  assimilates 
him  to  the  Divine  Saviour,  "who  w^ent  about  doing 
good,"  and  hath  left  on  record  a  Divine  maxim,  which 
deserves  to  be  emblazoned  in  letters  of  gold,  and  en- 
graven on  the  hearts  of  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  uni- 
verse— "  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  re- 
ceive." This  is  a  maxim  which  is  seldom  recognized, 
even  by  Christians,  in  all  its  practical  bearings.  But, 
were  it  universally  acted  upon,  it  would  completely 
change  the  character  of  this  world,  and  transform  it 
from  a  scene  of  sin  and  suffering,  into  a  moral  para- 


13B  ON    THE    EVILS    WHICH    FLOW 

dise.  In  heaven,  where  this  noble  principle  expands 
and  governs  the  hearts  of  all  its  inhabitants,  it  is  one  of 
the  chief  sources  of  that  "  fulness  of  joy,"  and  those 
"  pleasures  which  are  at  God's  right  hand  for  ever- 
more." 

The  covetous  therefore,  in  refusing  to  recognize,  and 
to  act  on  this  divine  principle,  both  violate  the  com- 
mands of  God,  roh  him  of  the  tithes  and  offerings  he 
demands,  and  prevent  themselves  from  enjoying  the  fe- 
licity of  superior  natures.  The  miser  robs  God,  when 
he  either  contributes  nothing  to  his  service,  or  such  a 
pitiful  sum,  as  amounts  to  little  short  of  an  insult  offer- 
ed to  the  cause  of  religion.  The  rich  worldling  who 
lives  in  splendor,  robs  God  of  his  due,  when  he  ex- 
pends fifty  guineas  on  a  splendid  but  useless  piece  of 
furniture,  a  hundred  guineas  on  some  trifling  amuse- 
ment, or  a  thousand  pounds  to  gratify  a  vain  desire  af- 
ter worldly  honor  or  distinction  ;  while  he  either  gives 
nothing  at  all,  or  contents  himself  with  contributing 
two,  five,  or  ten  guineas,  for  the  propagation  of  knowl- 
edge and  Christianity  through  the  world.  When  a 
man  who  Uves  in  luxury  and  elegance,  who  does  not 
hesitate  to  subscribe  hundreds  or  thousands  of  pounds 
to  Conservative  clubs  or  Orange  societies,  or  who  wastes 
similar  sums  in  gratifying  his  pride  or  his  appetites, 
contributes  only  such  paltry  portions  of  his  wealth  to 
the  most  noble  object  that  can  engage  the  attention  of 
the  human  mind,  he  virtually  pours  contempt  on  such 
an  object,  by  placing  it  in  the  very  lowest  ranks,  and 
thus  robs  his  Maker,  from  whom  he  derived  his  wealth, 
of  the  tribute  which  is  due  for  the  promotion  of  his 
glory. 

Every  professing  Christian,  likewise,  in  whatev- 
er station  he  is  placed,  when  he  regards  the  interests 
of  religion  as  merely  a  secondary  object,  and  refuses 
to  come  cheerfully  forward  with  a  fair  proportion  of 
his  substance,  according  as  God  has  prospered  him,  for 
promoting  the  advancement  of  the  Redeemer's  king- 
dom— must  be  considered  as  a  sacrilegious  robber,  de- 
priving the  Most  High  of  the  tithes  and  offerings  he 
demands,  and  consequently  subjects  himself  to  the  in- 


FROM    COVETOUSNESS.  137 

fliction  of  a  cw-se,  similar  to  that  which  was  denoun- 
ced upon  the  covetous  Jews  in  the  days  of  Malachi. 

In  the  next  place,  the  covetous  man  i^obs  the  poor, 
the  distressed,  the  widow  and  the  fatherless.     He  robs 
them  of  their  enjoyments,  by  withholding  that  assist- 
ance which  is  requisite  for  enabling  them  to  procure 
the  comforts  and  necessaiies  of  life.     The  Creator  has 
displayed  his  boundless  liberality  in  the  abundant  treas- 
ures of  the  earth  and  seas,  in  the  ample  space  afforded 
for  the  habitations  of  man,  and  for  the  production  of 
food  and  the  materials  for  clothing,  and  in  giving  rain 
from  heaven  and   fruitful  seasons,  that  the  hearts  of 
men  may  be  filled  with  food  and  gladness.     The  earth, 
if  properly  cultivated,  and  its  productions  impartially 
distributed,  w^ould  be  more  than  sufficient  to  supply  ev- 
ery sensitive  comfort  to  twenty  times  the  present  num- 
ber of  the  population  of  our  globe.*     Even  as  matters 
now  stand,  there  is  far  more  produced  from  the  riv- 
ers, the  ocean,  and  the  dry  land,  than  is  sufficient  for 
the  abundant  sustenance  of  man,  and  every  species  of 
animated   existence,  were  it  distributed  by  the  hand  of 
equity  and  beneficence.     But  covetousness  interposes 
between  the  Creator  and  his  creatures,   and  attempts 
to  intercept  the  streams  of  Divine  Goodness,  and  pre- 
vent them  from  flowing  to  every  order  of  his  sensitive 
and  intelligent  offspring!     It  either  hoards  up  the  treas- 
ures of  Nature  that  few  may  enjoy  them,  or  wastes 
them  in  vanity  and  extravagance,  regardless  of  the  pri- 
vations and  sufferings  of  countless  multitudes  who   are 
pining  in  affliction  and  indigence.     Instead  of  acting  as 
the  Almoners  of  the  Creator,  in  distributing  the  boun- 
ties he  has  put  into  their  hands,  the  covetous  do  every 
thing  in  their  power  to  counteract  the  incessant  opera- 
tions of  Divine  Beneficence — and  thus  rob  the  poor,  the 
distressed  and  the  helpless,  of  those  comforts  which  his 
care  and  providence  had  provided.     They  likewise  rob 

*  Allowing  only  one  fourth  of  the  area  of  the  globe  to  be  capable  of 
cultivation,  and  that  twelve  acres  of  land  are  sufficient  for  the  maintain- 
ance  of  a  family,  it  is  easily  proved  by  calculation,  that  the  earth  would 
support  sixteen  thousand  millions  of  inhabitants,  which  is  about  twen- 
ty times  the  number  of  its  present  population, 

12* 


138  ON   THE   EVILS    WHICH   FLOW 

them  by  an  unceasing  course  of  injustice  and  oppress- 
ion, defrauding  them  of  their  rights,  and,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  Scripture,  "  grinding  the  faces  of  the  poor, 
beating  them  to  pieces,  and  taking  the  spoil  of  the  indi- 
gent into  their  houses."* 

Again,  the  avaricious  man  rohs  his  own  family.  He 
frequently  denies  them  the  comforts  of  life,  and  even 
its  necessaries.  Though  his  coffers  are  overflowing 
with  wealth,  and  the  means  of  every  sensitive  and  ra- 
tional enjoyment  are  within  his  power,  yet  his  wife  and 
children  are  virtually  sunk  into  the  depths  of  poverty. 
Their  food  is  mean,  and  measured  out  with  a  sparing 
hand.  Their  clothes  are  of  the  coarsest  stuff,  and 
wear  the  appearance  of  the  garb  of  poverty  ;  their  ed- 
ucation is  stinted  or  altogether  neglected,  because  it 
would  prevent  him  from  adding  a  few  more  shillings  to 
replenish  his  bags  and  coffers.  In  short,  all  their  com- 
forts, instead  of  flowing  in  copious  streams  proportion- 
ate to  his  treasures,  are  measured  out  to  them  in  the 
smallest  quantities,  like  the  small  drops  of  medicine 
from  an  apothecary's  phial. 

He  likewise  rohs  general  society  of  those  improve- 
ments and  comforts  which  he  is  the  means  of  prevent- 
ing. 

Were  it  not  for  avarice,  we  should  have  our  towns 
and  cities  divested  of  every  nuisance,  our  streets  broad 
and  spacious,  the  light  of  heaven  and  the  refreshing 
breeze  visiting  every  dwelling,  our  narrow  lanes  de- 
molished, our  high  ways  clean  and  smooth,  and  adorn- 
ed with  refreshing  bowers,  asylums  for  the  industrious 
poor,  seminaries  for  the  instruction  of  all  ranks  and 
ages  in  useful  knowledge,  and  innumerable  other  im- 
provements for  promoting  the  happiness  of  the  social 
state.  But  covetousness  interposes  and  raises  an  al- 
most insurmountable  barrier  to  the  accomplishment  of 
such  designs  ;  and,  when  they  are  partially  effected,  in 
particular  cases,  it  steps  in  and  says,  "  hitherto  shalt 
thou  come,  but  no  farther,  and  here  shall  all  improve- 
ments be  stayed." 

*  Isaiah  iii.  14,  15. 


FROM    COVETOUSNESS.  139 

In  short,  he  robs  every  philanthropic  society  of  its 
treasures,  by  withholding  those  gifts  which  God  has 
put  in  his  power  to  bestow ;  and  he  robs  himself,  by  de- 
priving himself  of  contentment  and  serenity  of  mind, 
and  of  those  external  Qomforts  which  God  has  liberal- 
ly provided  for  all  his  creatures.  "  Although  he  want- 
eth  nothing  for  his  soul  of  all  that  he  desireth,  yet  he 
deprives  himself  of  the  power  to  eat  thereof."  Such 
are  the  robberies  committed  by  every  one,  in  whose 
heart  covetousness  sits  enthroned. 

If  this  species  of  robbery  were  viewed,  by  Christian 
and  civil  society,  in  its  proper  light,  as  delineated  in  the 
word  of  God,  the  covetous  extortioner,  and  the  gay 
worldling  would  be  as  much  shunned  and  hissed  from 
society,  as  the  sharper,  the  thief,  or  the  midnight  dep- 
redator. 

2.  Covetousness  uniformly  leads  to  falsehood  and  in- 
justice. 

The  heart  being  set  upon  the  acquisition  of  wealth 
as  its  highest  object,  the  worldling  seizes  upon  every 
mean  by  which  it  may  be  acquired.  Among  these 
means,  falsehood  and  misrepresentation  are  particular- 
ly conspicuous.  When  he  is  buying  an  article,  he  en- 
deavors to  depreciate  its  properties  and  its  value ;  and 
when  he  is  to  dispose  of  a  similar  commodity,  he  over- 
rates its  qualities,  and  attempts  to  procure  a  price  for 
it  far  beyond  its  worth.  If  there  is  a  prospect  of  the 
price  of  any  commodity  rising,  he  denies  that  it  is  in  his 
possession,  and  if  he  has  a  deteriorated  article  which 
he  wishes  to  dispose  of,  he  will  varnish  it  over  with  a 
fair  outside  to  deceive  the  unwary.  If  he  is  tying  up  a 
bundle  of  quills,  he  will  place  four  or  five  in  the  cen- 
tre, not  half  the  value  of  the  rest,  and  thus,  he  sends 
forth  hundreds  of  liars,  with  a  fair  outside,  to  proclaim 
as  many  falsehoods  to  the  world.  If  he  have  money 
in  the  stocks,  he  will  sometimes  endeavor  to  propagate 
false  intelligence  to  produce  their  rise  or  fall,  accord- 
ing as  he  finds  it  his  interest  to  sell  out  or  to  purchase. 
He  misrepresents  the  state  of  the  markets,  and  the 


140  ON    THE   EVILS   WHICH   FLOW 

commodities  of  his  neighbors,  in  order  to  enhance  his 
own.  When  he  covets  his  neighbor's  property,  he 
takes  the  advantage  of  either  poverty  or  ignorance, 
and  resorts  to  falsehood  and  every  deceitful  mean,  in 
order  to  obtain  it  at  half  its  value  ;  and  when  it  comes 
into  his  possession,  its  defects  are  immediately  trans- 
formed into  valuable  properties,  and  it  is  rated  at  a 
price  far  superior  to  its  intrinsic  worth.  In  this  way, 
his  whole  Hfe  becomes  a  course  of  systematic  false- 
hood ;  and,  if  he  can  accomplish  his  designs  by  such 
means,  without  directly  violating  the  civil  laws  of  his 
country,  he  regards  himself  as  a  man  of  uprightness 
and  honesty — although  the  principle  of  truth,  which  is 
the  basis  of  the  moral  universe,  is  violated  in  almost 
every  transaction.  And,  as  he  is  a  liar  and  deceiver, 
so  he  is,  almost  as  a  matter  of  course,  guilty  of  injus- 
tice and  oppression.  For,  instead  of  relieving  the  poor 
and  unfortunate,  when  calamities  befal  them,  he  gree- 
dily seizes  upon  such  occurrences,  in  order  to  acquire 
the  remains  of  their  property  at  an  under  value.  He 
drives  from  their  long  accustomed  dwellings,  the  indus- 
trious cottager,  and  mechanic,  whose  ancestors  had  for 
generations  occupied  the  same  habitation  or  plot  of 
ground,  in  order  that  he  may  have  a  chance  of  adding 
three  or  four  pounds  more  to  his  already  overflowing 
treasures.  The  bargains  he  drives,  are  all  hard,  and 
the  poor  who  are  indebted  to  him  for  loans  of  money, 
are  sure  to  be  fleeced  of  a  double  rate  of  interest.  He 
is  generally  a  usurer  who  lends  to  the  necessitous,  at 
an  exorbitant  rate,  and  when  payments  have  been  de- 
layed beyond  their  proper  period,  he  seizes  upon  their 
properties,  like  a  furious  wolf,  and  frequently  obtains 
them  at  a  small  fraction  of  their  value.  All  such  acts 
of  oppression,  which  are  direct  violations  of  natural  jus- 
tice, he  can  commit,  and  does  commit  in  the  open  face 
of  day,  and  hugs  himself  in  the  idea  that  he  can  do  so 
without  directly  violating  the  statute  law  of  his 
country. 

Dr.  Reed,  in  his  late  "  Narrative  of  a  visit  to  the 
American  Churches,"  presents  a  sketch  of  a  female 
character  he  met  with  in  one  of  his  journeys,  that  bears 


FROM    COVETOUSNESS.  141 

a  certain  resemblance  to  what  we  have  now  describ- 
ed :  "  Crowded  and  almost  suffocated  [in  our  vehi- 
cle,] we  had  an  old  lady  who  did  not  fail  to  amuse  us. 
She  sat  opposite  me,  and  would  force  a  conversation  ; 
and  as  her  voice  was  sharp  and  shrill,  w  hat  w^as  meant 
for  me,  went  to  all.  '  As  for  religion,  she  thought  one 
as  good  as  another,  if  we  did  our  duty ;  and  her  notion 
of  duty  w^as  to  mind  our  own  business.  For  her  part, 
she  had  always  done  so ;  she  ridiculed  those  who  had 
employed  others  to  do  it  for  them ;  she  could  always 
do  hers  best  for  herself ;  she  could  make  fifteen  per 
cent,  of  money — had  small  sums  out  now  at  fifteen  per 
cent.'  She  felt  that  this  was  not  approved.  '  Oh  !  she 
was  not  hard  with  the  poor  creatures ;  if  they  were 
pressed,  she  waited,  and  lent  them  a  little  more,  so  that 
they  could  pay  at  last.  She  had  always  been  unmar- 
ried, not  for  want  of  offers,  but  she  liked  her  indepen- 
dency, and  w^ould  resent  the  offers  of  any  man  who 
would  want  to  get  her  property.'  I  remarked,  that  she 
had  done  well  not  to  marry ;  as  a  person,  like  herself, 
who  could  do  every  thing  so  well,  could  have  no  need 
of  a  husband.  '  Right,  right.  Sir,'  she  cried,  laughing. 
Then  getting  thoughtful,  she  continued  :  '  But  I  have  a 
great  deal  of  care,  and  I  often  think,  I  should  like  to 
retire  and  be  quiet;  and  then,  I  feel,  as  if  I  could  not 
be  quiet,  and  then  I  should  have  no  friend.  I  should 
want  a  friend,  if  I  retired,  else  I  could  afford  it,  you 
know.'  '  Oh,  I  had  no  doubt  of  her  having  a  hand- 
some property.'  '  Oh,  no.  Sir,  your  joke  is  very  pret- 
ty, but  I  did  not  mean  to  say  I  was  rich.  I  have  some- 
where or  other  about  7000  dollars  ;  but  I  guess  that  you 
have  more  money  than  all  of  us  put  together.'  And  thus 
she  continued  throughout  the  journey,  never  embarras- 
sed, always  prepared  to  meet  you  in  reply,  and  always 
satisfied  with  her  own  shrewdness.  She  was  really  a 
character, — person,  features,  dress  and  all,  but  a  most 
pitiable  one.  A  great  usurer  on  a  small  scale ;  the 
love  of  money  had  become  in  her  the  root  of  all  evil ; 
it  made  her  indifferent    to   a  future  world,  and  de^ 


142  ON    THE    EVILS    WHICH    FLOW 

stroyed   all  that  was  feminine,    tender,  and  benevo- 
lent."* 

This  is  truly  a  graphic  picture  of  an  old  female  mi- 
ser, whose  heart  appears  to  have  been  long  wedded  to 
the  Mammon  of  unrighteousness.  Her  moral  sense  ap- 
pears to  have  been  completely  blunted  by  her  love  of 
money ;  for  she  appears  to  have  had  no  impression  of 
the  injustice  of  taking  fifteen  per  cent,  from  "poor  crea- 
tures." Yet,  it  is  evident,  from  her  declaring  that  "  she 
had  a  great  deal  of  care,"  and  from  her  wish  and  hes- 
itation about  retiring  from  the  world,  that  she  was  an 
unhappy  mortal,  as  all  such  characters  must  necessari- 
ly be.  As  the  Doctor  would  doubtless  intersperse  in 
his  conversation,  some  rational  and  scriptural  argu- 
ments against  covetousness,  it  is  rather  a  defect  in  his 
narrative,  that  he  does  not  state  what  impressions  they 
made,  or  how  they  were  received  ;  for  the  lady,  he  in- 
forms us,  "was  always  prepared  to  meet  you  in  reply." 
Alas  !  that  so  many  such  characters  should  be  found  in 
a  Christian  land,  who  think,  like  this  wretched  female, 
that  they  have  done  their  duty,  "  when  they  mind  their 
own  avaricious  business !" 

3.  Covetousness  destroys  riatui^al  feeling  and  tender- 
ness of  conscience. 

There  are  few  vicious  dispositions  that  have  a  great- 
er tendency  to  harden  the  natural  feelings  of  the  hu- 
man heart,  and  to  produce  a  complete  apathy  in  regard 
to  the  w^ants  and  sufferings  of  others,  than  the  inordi- 
nate love  of  money.  The  tale  of  woe,  the  houseless 
wanderer  shivering  in  rags  amidst  the  blasts  of  winter, 
the  wants  and  distresses  of  the  surrounding  poor,  and 
the  claims  of  indigent  friends  and  relatives,  make  no 
impression  on  that  heart  which  is  encircled,  as  b}^  a 
wall  of  adamant,  with  the  immoderate  love  of  gain. 
On  such  a  heart,  the  tears  of  the  unfortunate,  and  of 
the  widow  and  orphan,  will  drop  in  vain.     Its  eyes  are 

*  Narrative  of  a  visit,  &c.  by  Drs.  Reed  and  Mattheson,  vol.  i.  pp. 
103,  104.  >  If 


FROM    COVETOUSNESS.  143 

blind  to  spectacles  of  misery^  its  hands  are  shut,  and 
its  ears  deaf  to  the  calls  of  poverty  and  the  cries  of 
distress.  Such  unhappy  petitioners,  instead  of  meeting 
with  pity  or  relief,  are  driven  from  the  door  of  avarice, 
with  growls  and  insults,  and  the  haughtiness  of  a  ty- 
rant. Even  domestic  affliction,  and  the  death  of  pa- 
rents, wives  or  children,  will  scarcely  affect  the  heart, 
that  is  rendered  callous  by  covetousness.  Of  this  we 
have  a  striking  example,  in  the  case  of  Edward  Nokes, 
some  of  the  particulars  of  whose  avaricious  conduct 
were  formerly  stated.*  In  his  younger  days,  he  used, 
at  the  death  of  any  of  his  children,  to  have  a  deal  box 
made  to  put  them  in  ;  and,  without  undergoing  the  sol- 
emn requisites  of  a  regular  funeral,  he  would  take  them 
upon  his  shoulder  to  the  place  appropriated  for  their 
reception,  as  if  he  had  been  carrying  a  common  bur- 
den or  a  young  pig  to  the  market,  and  with  similar 
apathy  and  unconcern.  When  once  deposited  in  the 
grave,  he  appeared  to  give  himself  no  further  thought 
about  the  matter,  and  seemingly  coincided  with  the  old 
maxim,  "out  of  sight,  out  of  mind,"  and  appeared  as 
unconcerned,  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  A  similar 
want  of  feeling  seems  to  have  characterised  the  old 
American  lady,  whose  features  are  delineated  above. 
To  be  "  without  natural  affection,"  is  a  disposition 
which,  in  the  word  of  God,  is  ranked  with  that  of  "  a 
reprobate  mind,  maliciousness,  envy,  murder,  and  oth- 
er abominable  crimes  :"  and  is  a  plain  proof  of  the  ma- 
lignity of  the  avaricious  principle  from  which  it  flows. 
And,  as  natural  feeling  is  destroyed,  so  the  conscience 
is  benumbed  by  the  covetous  principle,  and  even  "  sear- 
ed as  with  a  hot  iron."  Its  remonstrances  are  grad- 
ually overcome,  by  the  daily  increase  of  the  avaricious 
appetite  ;  and,  in  the  course  of  time,  its  "  still  small 
voice,"  is  altogether  disregarded.  Neither  the  promi- 
ses nor  the  threatenings  of  the  divine  word,  however 
frequently  they  may  be  heard,  nor  the  joys  and  terrors 
of  the  unseen  world,  can  arouse  the  conscience  to  a 
sense  of  duty  or  of  danger.     Such,  in  many  instances, 

*  Seep.  49. 


144  ON    THE    EVILS   WHICH    FLOW 

is  its  insensibility,  that  all  the  arguments  and  motives 
on  the  necessity  of  faith,  repentance,  and  amendment 
of  life,  become  as  inelTectual  for  awakening  considera- 
tion, as  if  they  were  addressed  to  the  beasts  of  the 
forest,  or  the  stones  of  the  field.  No  situation  in  which 
a  man  can  be  placed  is  more  dismal  and  alarming, 
than  such  a  state ;  and  since  it  is  the  natural  result  of 
inveterate  covetousness,  it  should  make  every  one  trem- 
ble lest  he  should  be  left  to  fall  into  those  hurtful  lusts 
which  drown  men  in  destruction  and  perdition. 

4.  Covetousness  leads  to  the  indulgence  of  murder- 
ous wishes,  and  even  to  murder  itself. 

As  the  lives  of  certain  individuals  frequently  stand 
in  the  way  of  the  gratification  of  the  covetous  appe- 
tite, the  avaricious  worldling  naturally  wishes  that  they 
may  be  removed  as  speedily  as  possible  from  the  world  ; 
and  when  a  relative  dies  at  whose  decease  an  inheri- 
tance is  expected,  he  can  scarcely  refrain  from  expres- 
sing his  satisfaction  and  joy.  Hence  the  anxiety  with 
which  such  persons  look  forward  to  the  death  of  any 
one  from  whom  a  legacy  or  an  inheritance  is  to  be  de- 
rived ;  and  hence,  the  very  common  expressions  of  such, 
in  reference  to  an  uncle,  an  aunt,  or  even  to  a  parent — 
"  The  old  fellow  has  surely  lived  long  enough.  When  will 
he  get  out  of  the  way  ?"  "  I  wish  that  old  dame  who 
gives  away  so  much  money  for  religion,  were  safely 
landed  in  heaven.  If  she  continues  here  much  longer, 
I  shall  have  a  sorry  chance  of  enjoying  her  posses- 
sions." But  covetousness  does  not  always  content  itself 
with  such  unhallowed  and  diabolical  wishes.  Strong 
desires  and  ardent  wishes  generally  lead  to  correspond- 
ing actions.  In  the  presence  of  the  Omniscient,  and 
in  defiance  of  his  positive  laws  and  his  Almighty  pow- 
er— it  not  unfrequently  takes  into  its  hands  the  power 
of  life  and  death ;  and,  by  an  insidious  murder,  rids 
itself  of  those  who  were  considered  as  obstacles  to  its 
gratification.  The  poisoned  cup  is  administered,  or 
the  sword  and  blunder-buss  prepared,  or  the  assassin 
hired  to  poignard,  or  to  suffocate  the  unsuspecting  vie- 


PROM    COVETOUSNESS.  145 

tim,  that  avarice  may  glut  itself  with  the  wages  of  un- 
righteousness and  the  spoils  of  violence.  Cases  of 
this  kind  are  so  numerous  that  many  volumes  would 
not  be  sufficient  to  record  them.  Perhaps  it  would  not 
be  going  beyond  the  bounds  of  fact  to  affirm,  that  one- 
half  of  the  murders  committed  in  the  world  have  had 
their  origin  in  this  abominable  affection.  Almost  every 
daily  newspaper  that  comes  into  our  hands  contains 
some  revolting  details  of  this  description.  It  is  seldom 
that  a  week  passes  in  the  Police  offices  and  other  crim- 
inal courts  in  London,  in  which  cases  of  violence  or  of 
murders  arising  from  this  cause,  are  not  exhibited  to 
public  view.  And  when  we  consider  the  secrecy  and 
dexterity  with  which  such  atrocious  acts  are  generally 
conducted,  w^e  may  easily  conceive  how  many  such 
deeds  may  be  perpetrated  unknown  to  any  human  be- 
ing, except  the  perpetrator,  and  to  which  the  eye  of 
Omniscience  alone  is  a  witness. 

Among  all  ranks  of  society  such  atrocities  have  been 
committed.  Not  only  the  lower  but  the  very  highest 
order  of  men  have  been  implicated  in  the  commission 
of  such  enormities.  Even  princes  and  nobles  connect- 
ed with  the  British  throne,  under  the  influence  of  ava- 
rice and  ambition,  have  committed  crimes  of  this  des- 
cription, at  which  humanity  shudders.  Richard  III,  of 
England,  when  duke  of  Gloucester,  and  protector  of 
England,  after  the  death  of  his  brother,  Edward  V., 
prepared  his  way  to  the  throne,  by  causing  the  Earl  of 
Rivers  and  other  noblemen,  who  had  the  charge  of  the 
legitimate  heirs,  to  be  beheaded,  without  any  trial  or 
form  of  process,  and  on  the  very  day  in  which  these 
men  were  murdered  at  Pomfret,  he  treacherously 
caused  a  number  of  armed  men  to  rush  in  at  a  given 
signal,  and  seize  Lord  Hastings,  when  he  was  attending 
a  council  at  the  tower — whom  they  instantly  beheaded 
on  a  timber-log  which  lay  in  the  court.  And,  when 
he  had,  by  such  atrocities  and  the  basest  treacheries 
seated  himself  on  the  throne,  to  secure  its  stability,  as 
he  imagined,  he  hired  a  principal  assassin  and  three 
associates,  to  murder  the  two  young  princes,  his  neph- 
ews, whom  his  brother  had  committed  to  his  protection. 
13 


.146  ON    THE    EVILS    WHICH   FLOW 

They  came  in  the  night  time  to  the  chamber  where  the 
young  princes  were  lodged.  They  found  them  in  bed, 
and  fallen  into  a  profound  sleep.  After  suffocating 
them  with  a  bolster  and  pillows,  they  showed  their  na- 
ked bodies  to  the  principal  assassin,  who  ordered  them 
to  be  buried  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  deep  in  the  ground, 
under  a  heap  of  stones.  But  this  atrocious  monster, 
notwithstanding  the  splendors  of  his  court,  appeared 
never  afterwards  lo  enjoy  repose.  His  eyes  were  al- 
ways whirling  about  on  this  side  and  on  that ;  he  was 
always  laying  his  hand  upon  his  dagger,  looking  as  furi- 
ously as  if  he  were  ready  to  strike.  By  day  he  had 
no  quiet,  and  by  night  he  had  no  rest ;  but,  molested 
with  terrifying  dreams,  would  start  from  his  bed  and 
run  about  the  chamber  like  one  distracted.  He  enjoyed 
the  fruits  of  his  wickedness  only  two  short  years,  and  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Bosworth,  where  his  body  was 
found  in  the  field  covered  with  dead  enemies  and  all  be- 
smeared with  blood.  It  was  thrown  carelessly  across  a 
horse,  and  carried  to  Leicester,  amidst  the  shouts  of  in- 
sulting spectators.  How  many  such  murders  may  have 
been  committed,  under  the  influence  of  covetousness, 
by  ambitious  statesmen,  by  kings  and  conquerors,  by 
guardians  and  wardens,  and  even  by  the  nearest  rela- 
tives, God  only  knows  ;  but  history,  both  ancient  and 
modern,  is  full  of  such  revolting  details ;  and  such 
details  relate  only  to  such  as  were  detected  and  expos- 
ed to  public  view.  When  we  seriously  consider  this 
dreadful  tendency  of  the  covetous  and  ambitious  prin- 
ciple, it  should  form  a  powerful  motive  to  every  one, 
and  particularly  to  every  professing  Christian,  for  coun- 
teracting the  first  risings  of  such  depraved  affections. 
For,  if  they  be  harbored  and  cherished  for  any  length 
of  time,  they  may  lead  to  atrocities  from  which  the 
mind  would  have  previously  shrunk  back  with  horror. 
As  a  few  small  sparks  will  sometimes  produce  an  appal- 
ling conflagration,  so  a  few  covetous  affections,  nursed 
and  fostered  in  the  heart,  may  lead  to  the  most  appal- 
ling murders,  and  to  the  destruction  of  soul  and  body, 
both  in  regard  to  ourselves,  and  to  the  victims  of  our 
unhallowed  propensities. 


FROM    COVETOUSNESS.  147 

5.  Covetousness  has,  in  numerous  instances,  pervert- 
ed the  administration  of  the  law,  and  frustrated  the  ends: 
of  public  justice. 

Courts.of  Judicature  were  instituted  for  the  purpose 
of  dispensing  justice  between  man  and  man,  for  pun- 
ishing the  guilty  and  protecting  the  innocent ;  and  there- 
fore, those  who  are  appointed  to  preside  in  such  cases, 
ought,  in  an  especial  manner,  to  be  men  of  uprightness 
and  impartiality,  and  inflexible  in  their  adherence  to 
the  side  of  truth  and  justice.  Hence,  the  propriety  of 
the  advice  of  Jethro  to  Moses,  that,  in  appointing  judges 
for  Israel,  he  should  make  choice  of  "  able  men  who 
fear  God  and  hate  covetousness^  Without  the  fear  of 
God  before  his  eyes,  a  judge  will  be  liable  to  be  biased 
in  his  decision  by  selfish  and  worldly  motives,  and  the 
influence  of  proffered  bribes.  And,  how  often  does  it 
happen  that  gold,  or  something  equivalent  to  it,  turns 
the  scales  of  justice,  and  makes  them  preponderate  on 
the  side  of  iniquity  and  oppression  ? — when  the  cause 
of  the  rich  is  preferred,  and  the  poor  deprived  of  their 
rights — the  innocent  condemned,  and  the  guilty  acquit- 
ted— "  the  persons  of  the  wicked  accepted,  and  the 
cause  of  the  widow  and  the  fatherless  turned  aside  ?" 
By  such  unrighteous  decrees  in  courts  of  Judicature,  the 
most  distressing  and  melancholy  effects  have  frequently 
been  produced.  Families  have  been  robbed  of  every 
earthly  comfort,  and  plunged  into  the  depths  of  poverty 
and  despaii'.  The  stranger  and  the  destitute,  the  wid- 
ow and  the  orphan,  have  been  oppressed  and  forsaken, 
and  denied  the  common  rights  of  justice  and  humanity. 
The  wicked  have  been  left  to  triumph  in  their  wicked- 
ness, while  the  righteous  have  been  condemned  to  im- 
prisonment, to  exile,  or  to  death.  Men  of  integrity  and 
piety  "of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy,"  have 
been  doomed  to  dungeons,  to  racks,  to  tortures  of  every 
kind,  and  to  be  consumed  in  the  flames,  while  their  ac- 
cusers and  judges  have  been  permitted  to  riot  and  fat- 
ten on  the  spoils  of  iniquity.  Hence  the  frequent  and 
pointed  declarations  of  scripture  in  reference  to  judges. 
*'They  shall  judge  the   people  with  just  judgment," 


148  ON    THE    EVILS    WHICH    FLOW 

"  Thou  shalt  not  respect  persons,  neither  take  a  gift  ; 
for  a  gift  doth  bhnd  the  eyes  of  the  wise,  and  pervert 
the  words  of  the  righteous."  "  Thou  shalt  not  respect 
the  person  of  the  poor,  nor  honor  the  person  of  the 
mighty,  but  in  righteousness  shalt  thou  judge  thy  neigh- 
bor." And  hence,  the  threatenings  denounced  against 
the  rulers  of  Israel  by  the  prophet  Isaiah :  "  How  is  the 
faithful  city  become  an  harlot !  righteousness  lodged  in 
it,  but  now  murderers.  Thy  princes  are  companions 
of  theives ;  every  one  loveth  gifts,  and  followeth  after 
rewards ;  they  judge  not  the  fatherless,  neither  doth  the 
cause  of  the  widow  come  unto  them.  Therefore 
saith  the  Lord,  the  Mighty  One  of  Israel, — Ah  !  I  will 
ease  me  of  mine  adversaries  and  avenge  me  of  mine 
enemies."* 

History,  both  civil  and  sacred,  is  full  of  examples  of 
this  description.  We  have  a  striking  instance  recorded 
in  the  first  book  of  Kings,  in  relation  to  Ahab,  and  the 
vineyard  of  Naboth.  The  king  desired  to  have  the 
vineyard  to  add  to  the  gardens  belonging  to  his  palace. 
But  Naboth  was  prohibited,  by  the  law  of  Moses,  from 
alienating  from  his  family  and  posterity,  the  inheritance 
of  his  ancestors.  Jezebel,  the  queen,  was  determined 
however,  to  effectuate  her  purpose,  and  she  found 
ready  instruments  among  the  judges  of  the  land,  to 
carry  into  execution  her  diabolical  scheme.  With  the 
basest  effrontery  and  hypocrisy,  she  wrote  letters  in 
Ahab's  name  to  the  nobles  and  the  elders  of  the  city  in 
which  Naboth  dwelt,  and  hired  two  "  men  of  Belial  " 
to  witness  against  him  that  he  had  "  blasphemed  God 
and  the  king."  It  is  truly  lamentable,  that,  in  every 
age,  in  all  such  cases,  princes  have  never  wanted  in- 
struments to  accomplish  their  most  atrocious  designs, 
when  they  made  an  appeal  to  the  principle  of  ambition 
and  avarice.  In  this  case,  it  would  appear,  there  was 
not  one  of  all  the  judges  of  this  city  that  abhorred  such 
a  piece  of  villany,  or  was  proof  against  the  flatteries 
and  bribes  of  the  wicked  Jezebel.  For,  in  obedience 
to  her  order,  and  without  the  least  remonstrance,  "  they 

*  Deut.  xvi.  18,  19.     Exod.  xxiii.  6,  9. 


FROM    COVETOUSNESS.  149 

proclaimed  a  fast,"  they  set  the  virtuous  Naboth  "  on 
high  among  the  people,"  condemned  him  on  the 
false  witness  of  two  atrocious  characters,  and  "  carried 
him  forth  out  of  the  city  and  stoned  him  with  stones 
that  he  died."  And,  in  order  to  display  their  sycophan- 
cy to  this  atrocious  woman,  and  to  gratify  her  pride  and 
revenge — and  to  show  that  they  deserved  her  favor  for 
the  deed  they  had  committed,  they  immediately  sent 
information  to  Jezebel,  saying,  "  Naboth  is  stoned,  and 
is  dead."  This  is  but  one  instance,  out  of  many  thou- 
sands of  similar  crimes  which  have  been  committed 
under  the  show  of  justice,  through  the  influence  of  sel- 
fishness and  avarice.  The  records  of  the  Inquisition, 
of  the  conclaves  of  popes  and  cardinals,  of  the  star 
chamber,  of  the  high  commission  court,  and  even  of 
many  other  courts  deemed  more  just  and  honorable, 
by  whose  decrees,  men  innocent  of  any  crime,  have 
been  fined  and  imprisoned,  robbed  of  their  earthly  pos- 
sessions, tortured  with  racks  and  thumb  screws,  and 
doomed  to  ignominous  deaths,  would  afford  ten  thou- 
sands of  striking  examples  of  unrighteous  decisions, 
proceeding  from  a  principle  of  ambition  and  covetous- 
ness,  sufficient  to  make  "  the  ears  of  every  one  that 
hears  them  to  tingle." 

It  is  related  of  that  pious  and  upright  judge.  Sir 
Matthew  Hale,  that,  when  a  gentleman  who  had  a 
cause  to  be  tried  at  the  assizes,  sent  him  a  buck  for  his 
table  ;  as  soon  as  his  name  was  mentioned,  he  asked 
him,  "  if  he  was  not  the  same  person  who  sent  him 
venison,"  and  finding  he  was  the  same,  he  told  him  "  he 
could  not  suflfer  the  trial  to  go  on,  till  he  had  paid  him 
for  his  buck."  To  which  the  gentleman  answered, 
"  that  he  had  never  sold  his  venison,  and  that  he  had 
done  nothing  to  him  that  he  did  not  do  to  every  judge  that 
had  gone  that  circuit^  But  this  excellent  judge  had 
learned  from  Solomon  that  "  a  gift  perverteth  the  ways 
of  judgment,"  and  therefore  he  would  not  suffer  the 
trial  to  go  on  till  he  had  paid  for  the  present :  upon 
which  the  gentleman  withdrew  the  record. 

On  another  occasion,  at  Salisbury,  the  dean  and 
chapter,  having,  according  to  the  custom,  presented  hin> 
13* 


JSO^  ON    THE    EVILS    WHICH    FLOW 

with  six  sugar  loaves,  on  his  circuit,  he  made  his  ser- 
vants pay  for  the  sugar  before  he  would  try  their  cause. 
These  anecdotes,  while  they  illustrate  the  uprightness 
and  impartiality  of  this  eminent  person,  also  proves, 
that  it  was  customary  for  those  who  had  causes  to  be 
tried,  to  give  presents  to  the  Judges  of  assize  ;■  and 
that,  in  all  probability,  they  frequently  acted  under  the 
influence  of   such  bribes. 

Another  story  is  told  of  Judge  Hale,  in  reference 
to  a  case  between  two  brothers,  the  younger  of  whom 
had  endeavored  to  deprive  his  elder  brother  of  an  es- 
tate of  £501)  a  year,  by  suborning  witnesses  to  declare 
that  he  died  in  a  foreign  land..  Under  the  guise  of  a 
miller,  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  jury  on  this  cause  ; 
and  as  soon  as  the  clerk  of  the  court  had  sworn  in  the 
jury-men,  a  little  dextrous  fellow  came  into  their  apart- 
ment and  slipped  ten  golden  Caroluses  into  the  hands 
of  eleven  of  the  jury,  and  gave  the  miller  five,  while 
the  judge,  at  the  same  time  was  known  to  be  bribed 
with  a  great  sum.  The  judge  summed  up  the  evidence 
in  favor  of  the  younger  brother,  and  the  jury  were 
about  to  give  their  assent,  when  the  supposed  miller 
stood  up  and  addressed  the  court  with  such  energetic 
and  manly  eloquence,  as  astonished  the  judge  and  all 
present — unravelled  the  sophistry  to  the  very  bottom, 
proved  the  fact  of  bribery,  evinced  the  elder  brother's 
title  to  the  estate,  from  the  contradictory  evidences  of 
the  witnesses,  and  gained  a  complete  victory  in  favor 
of  truth  and  justice. 

The  well-known  Judge  Jeffreys,  who  was  as  avari- 
cious as  he  was  unjust  and  cruel,  reduced  many  inno- 
cent victims  to  beggary,  by  his  rapacious  exactions.  A 
gentleman  of  Devonshire,  of  the  name  of  Prudeaux, 
having  been  thrown  into  prison,  and  dreading  the  severe 
and  arbitrary  spirit,  which  at  that  time,  met  with  no 
control,  was  obliged  to  buy  his  liberty  of  Jeffreys,  at 
the  price  of  ffteen  thousand  pounds,  though  he  could 
never  so  much  as  learn  the  crime  of  which  he  was  ac- 
cused. 

And,  as  judges  have  perverted  judgment,  so  advo- 
cates and  pleaders  in  courts  of  justice,  under  the  influ- 


FROM    COTETOUSNESS.  151 

ence  of  avarice,  have  endeavored  to  "  turn  aside  the 
cause  of  the  needy  in  judgment."  Haw  often  have 
such  persons,  by  means  of  sophistry,  misrepresenta- 
tion, and  false  eloquence,  supported  a  bad  cause,  and 
robbed  the  fatherless  and  the  widow  of  their  just  rights 
and  their  dearest  enjoyments — while  the  very  moment 
they  were  doing  so,  they  were  conscious  of  the  injustice 
of  their  procedure  !  thus  subjecting  themselves  to  that 
terrible  denunciation,  "  Wo  unto  them  that  call  evil 
good,  and  good  evil,  that  put  darkness  for  light,  and 
light  for  darkness,  that  justify  the  wicked  for  reward, 
and  take  away  the  righteousness  of  the  righteous  from 
him."  Nothing  is  more  common,  among  such  persons 
than  to  undertake  a  cause  of  any  description,  however 
untenable,  provided,  they  are  paid  for  defending  it.  In 
opposition  to  such  conduct,  which  is  directly  opposed 
both  to  reason  and  the  word  of  God,  it  is  said  of  Sir 
M.  Hale,  that  "  if  he  saw  a  cause  was  unjust,  he  would 
not  meddle  farther  in  it ;  but  to  give  his  advice  that  it 
was  so ;  if  the  parties  after  that  were  to  go  on,  they 
were  to  seek  another  counsellor,  for  he  would  assist 
none  in  acts  of  injustice."  "  In  his  pleadings,  he  abhor- 
red those  too  common  faults  of  mis-reciting  evidence ; 
quoting  precedents  or  books  falsely,  or  asserting  things 
confidently,  by  which,  ignorant  juries  or  weak  judges 
are  wrought  upon  and  deceived."  Would  to  God,  that 
all  our  pleaders  were  animated  by  such  upright  and 
honorable  principles. 

6.  Covetousness  has  transformed  many  of  the  minis- 
ters of  religion  into  courtly  sycophants,  and  hunters  after 
places  of  honor  and  worldly  gain. 

The  apostle  Peter  solemnly  enjoins  Christian  pas- 
tors to  "  feed  the  flock  of  God,  taking  the  oversight 
thereof,  not  by  constraint,  but  willingly,  not  for  filthy 
lucre,  but  of  a  ready  mind."  Neither  to  act  as  "  lord's 
over  God's  heritage,  but  to  be  ensamples  to  the  flock."' 
But,  how  often  do  we  find  that  professed  ministers  of 
the  gospel  appear  to  have  a  greater  respect  to  the  pecu- 
niary rewards  of  their  office  than  ta  accomplish  the 


15^  ON    THE    EVILS    WHICH    FLOW 

great  ends  for  which  it  was  appointed.  Otherwise, 
how  should  it  ever  happen,  that  men  would  have  the 
effrontery  to  receive  live,  or  ten,  or  fifteen  hundred 
pounds  a  year,  under  pretence  of  "  feeding  the  flock  of 
God,"  over  which  they  were  solemnly  appointed,  and 
yet  spend  their  time  in  fashionable  dissipations  in  dist- 
ant countries,  without  ever  caring  for  the  souls  of  their 
parishioners,  or  imparting  to  them  the  least  portion  of 
divine  instruction  ?  Such  ministers  when  at  any  time 
they  do  preach  to  their  people,  will  naturally  frame 
their  sermons  according  to  worldly  motives,  and  for 
selfish  designs.  If  it  may  promote  their  secular  inter- 
ests, they  will  appear  like  Apostles,  full  of  ardent  zeal 
for  the  truth  and  in  opposition  to  error  and  abounding 
sins.  But,  if  the  doctrines  of  the  cross  be  not  palata- 
ble to  their  fashionable  hearers,  they  will  amuse  them 
with  Pagan  morality,  smooth  down  the  threatenings  of 
the  divine  word,  and  endeavor  to  gratify  the  corrupt 
humors  of  their  audience.  The  standard  of  their  reli- 
gion changes  with  the  changes  of  the  State  ;  and  they 
will  not  scruple,  when  their  worldly  interest  is  at  stake, 
to  defend  all  that  is  odious  in  tyranny,  and  to  extol  the 
most  wicked  and  unprincipled  characters.  Of  this  we 
have  a  striking  example  in  the  case  of  the  Rev'd  Dr. 
Shaw,  who  lived  in  the  time  of  the  protectorship  of 
the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  who  afterwards  usurped  the 
crown,  under  the  title  of  Richard  III.  Among  other 
pleas  to  gain  his  ambitious  designs,  Richard  attempted 
to  maintain  what  had  not  the  shadow  of  a  founda- 
tion in  truth — that  both  Edward  IV.  his  own  brother, 
and  the  Duke  of  Clarence,  were  equally  illegitimate, 
and  that  the  Dutchess  of  York  had  received  different 
lovers,  who  were  the  fathers  of  these  children.  Noth- 
ing was  considered  more  impudent  and  unfounded  than 
this  assertion,  which  threw  so  vile  an  imputation  on  his 
own  mother,  a  princess  of  irreproachable  virtue,  and 
then  alive.  Yet  the  place  chosen  for  first  promulgating 
this  shameful  falsehood,  was  the  pulpit,  before  a  large 
congregation,  in  the  protector's  presence ;  and  a  Rev- 
erend Doctor  of  Divinity  was  base  enough  to  prostitute 
the  sacred  office  for  this  purpose.    Dr.   Shaw  wa5 


FROM    COVETOUSNESS.  153 

appointed  to  preach  at  St.  Pauls  ;  and  having  chosen 
this  passage  for  his  text, "  Bastard  slips  shall  not  thrive,^^ 
he  enlarged  on  all  the  topics  which  could  discredit  the 
birth  of  Edward  IV.,  the  Duke  of  Clarence,  and  of  all 
their  children.  He  then  broke  out  in  a  panegyric  on 
the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  and  exclaimed,  "  Behold  this 
excellent  Prince,  the  express  image  of  his  noble  father, 
the  genuine  descendant  of  the  house  of  York  ;  bearing 
no  less  in  the  virtues  of  his  mind,  than  in  the  features 
of  his  countenance,  the  character  of  the  gallant  Rich- 
ard, once  your  hero  and  favorite  ;  he  alone  is  entitled 
to  your  allegiance  ;  he  must  deliver  you  from  the  do- 
minion of  all  intruders ;  he  alone  can  restore  the  lost 
honor  and  glory  of  the  nation."  Such  w^as  a  part  of 
the  fulsome  oration  of  this  Reverend  sycophant,  in  favor 
of  a  despicable  tyrant  and  atrocious  murderer.  It 
w^as  previously  concerted,  that  as  the  doctor  should 
pronounce  these  words,  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  should 
enter  the  church  ;  and  it  was  expected  that  the  audi- 
ence would  cr^^  out,  "  God  save  king  Richard  /"  which 
would  immediately  have  been  laid  hold  of  as  a  popu- 
lar consent,  and  interpreted  to  be  the  voice  of  the 
nation.  But  Providence,  not  unfrequently,  turns  the 
schemes  of  the  crafty  into  foolishness.  By  a  ridicu- 
lous mistake,  worthy  of  the  whole  scene,  the  Duke 
did  not  appear  till  after  this  exclamation  was  already 
recited  by  the  preacher.  The  Doctor  was  therefore 
obliged  to  repeat  his  rhetorical  figure  out  of  its  proper 
place :  the  audience,  less  from  the  absurd  conduct  of 
the  discourse,  than  from  their  detestation  of  these  pro- 
ceedings, kept  a  profound  silence  ;  and  the  protector 
and  his  preacher  w^ere  equally  abashed  at  the  ill  success 
of  their  stratagem.  For,  "  He  who  sits  in  the  heav- 
ens," and  whose  eyes  "  behold  the  children  of  men," 
*'  holds  in  derision  "  all  such  deceitful  schemes,  and  "  dis- 
appoints the  devices  of  the  crafty,  so  that  their  hands 
cannot  perform  their  enterprise." 

It  is  to  be  hoped,  that  there  are,  m  our  times,  few 
persons  connected  with  the  sacred  office,  who  would 
go  all  the  length  with  the  despicable  sycophant  to  whom 
I  have  alluded.     But  there  is  no  one  who  reads  the 


154  ON    THE    EVILS    WHICH    FLOW 

daily  journals,  and  has  his  eyes  open  to  what  is  passing 
around  him,  but  must  perceive  that  there  are  charac- 
ters within  the  limits  of  the  British  Empire,  invested 
with  the  office  of  ministers  of  the  gospel,  who  make  a 
near  approximation  in  their  temper  and  conduct,  to 
such  political  parasites.  It  becomes  ministers,  of  re- 
ligion in  general,  to  be  particularly  on  their  guard 
against  such  unhallowed  propensities,  so  degrading  to 
the  office  of  ambassadors  of  Christ,  and  with  the  in- 
dulgence of  which  they  have  been  so  frequently  char- 
ged. If  their  great  object  be  merely  "to  please  men," 
they  "  cannot  be  the  servants  of  Christ ;"  and,  in  flat- 
tering the  great,  and  pandering  to  their  pride,  from  am- 
bitious motives,  they  will  be  found  subjecting  them- 
selves to  that  awful  denunciation  of  our  Saviour,  "He 
that  is  ashamed  of  me,  before  men,  of  him  will  I  be 
ashamed  before  my  Father  and  his  holy  angels."  And 
a  more  awful  situation  can  scarcely  be  conceived  than 
that  of  an  ambitious  and  worldly  minded  minister  stand- 
ing before  the  bar  of  God,  and  commanded  "  to  give 
an  account  of  his  stewardship,"  and  of  the  souls  corn- 
mitted  to  his  care.  The  prospect  of  such  a  scene,  and 
its  appalling  consequences,  ought  to  make  every  such 
character  tremble,  if  he  really  believes  in  a  future  re- 
tribution ;  and  either  throw  aside  all  pretensions  to  the 
sacred  office,  or  "  break  off  his  sins  by  righteousness," 
and  "  flee  for  refuge  from  the  wrath  to  come." 

In  short,  what  v»^as  addressed  by  the  prophet  Mala- 
chi,  in  the  name  of  Jehovah,  to  the  priests  of  the  Jews, 
might  be  addressed  with  propriety  to  many  of  the  min- 
isters of  the  New  Testament  Church,  and  ought  to  ex- 
cite their  solemn  consideration :  "  Ye  have  departed 
out  of  the  way ;  ye  have  caused  many  to  stumble  at 
the  law  ;  therefore  have  I  made  you  contemptible  and 
base  before  all  the  people;  as  ye  have  not  kept  my 
w^ays,  but  have  been  partial  in  the  law.  Now^,  there- 
fore, O  ye  priests,  this  commandment  is  for  you — if  ye 
will  not  hear,  and  if  ye  will  not  lay  it  to  heart,  to  give 
glory  to  my  name,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  I  will  even 
send  a  curse  upon  you,  and  I  will  curse  your  blessings, 


FROM    COVETOUSNESS.  155 

yea  1  have  cursed  them  already  because  ye  do  not  lay 
it  to  heart." 


7.  Covetousnes^  inclines  men  to  presumption  and 
self-sufficiency,  as  if  they  could  live  independently  of 
their  Maker,  and  consequently  leads  to  a  virtual  denial 
of  a  superintending  Providence. 

God  is  the  original  source  of  existence  and  happi- 
ness. On  Him  all  creatures,  from  the  archangel  to 
the  worm,  depend  for  every  enjoyment  they  now  or 
ever  will  possess.  Throughout  every  region  of  the 
universe  ;  all  the  laws  of  nature,  and  all  the  movements 
of  the  material  system  connected  with  these  laws,  are 
absolutely  dependant  upon  Him  "  w^ho  spake,  and  it 
was  done,"  who  gave  the  command,  "  and  all  things 
stood  fast."  Consequently  all  the  orders  of  intelligent 
beings,  wherever  existing  throughout  creation,  are  ev- 
ery moment  dependant  upon  his  superintendance  and 
care,  for  the  continuance  of  their  existence,  and  for 
every  comfort  they  enjoy.  Were  he  to  withdraw  his 
supporting  hand,  their  existence  and  enjoyments  would 
cease,  the  wheels  of  nature  would  stop,  and  the  vast 
fabric  of  the  universe  would  soon  be  transformed  into 
one  frightful  and  univei'sal  ruin.  "  For  in  Him  we  live 
and  move,  and  have  our  being ;"  his  visitation  sustains 
our  spirits,  and  in  his  hand  is  the  soul  of  every  living 
thing,  and  the  breath  of  all  mankind.  It  is,  therefore, 
one  of  the  first  duties  of  every  rational  creature,  to  look 
up  to  God  for  every  blessing,  to  confide  in  him  for  ev- 
er}^ earthly  comfort,  and  to  acknowledge  his  goodness 
for  every  sensitive  as  well  as  spiritual  enjoyment  he 
confers.  To  act  otherwise,  is  virtually  to  call  in  ques- 
tion his  existence,  and  his  overruling  providence. 

But  riches,  to  which  the  covetous  appetite  is  direct- 
ed, incline  men  to  presume  on  their  own  self-sufficien- 
cy, and  to  rob  God  of  that  homage  and  confidence 
which  is  due  to  him  as  the  Supreme  Dispenser  of  ev- 
ery blessing.  In  many  cases,  they  virtually  depose 
God  from  his  throne,  and  set  up  the  world  as  the  ob- 
ject of  adoration  and  confidence.     Instead  of  directing 


156  ON    THE    EVILS    WHICH    FLOW 

the  soul  to  trust  in  the  Most  High  in  the  midst  of  dan- 
gers and  distress — "  the  rich  man's  wealth  is  his  strong 
city,  and  as  a  high  wall  in  his  own  conceit,"  to  which 
he  looks  for  defence  in  the  prospect  of  whatever  may 
befal  him.  Hence,  it  is  declared  of  Israel,  after  they 
were  filled  with  abunjlance,  "  their  heart  was  exalted, 
therefore  have  they  forgotten  me,  saith  the  Lord  ;"  and 
hence  the  declaration  of  the  Psalmist  in  regard  to  such, 
"  they  trust  in  their  wealth,  and  boast  themselves  in  the 
multitude  of  their  riches."  This  confidence  in  wealth, 
and  forgetfulness  of  dependence  upon  God,  form  some 
of  the  chief  reasons  why  so  many  pointed  injunctions 
are  given  in  Scripture  in  reference  to  the  evils  of  cov- 
etousness,  and  the  danger  attending  the  accumulation 
of  wealth.  It  was  on  this  account,  chiefly,  that  the 
rich  man  "  who  had  goods  laid  up  for  many  years,"  was 
condemned.  He  trusted  in  these  riches  as  the  source 
of  his  happiness,  and  as  a  security  in  his  own  hands 
against  every  calamity ;  and  he  presumptuously  calcu- 
lated on  the  enjoyment  of  many  years  to  come,  forget- 
ting that  he  was  every  moment  dependent  for  exist- 
ence on  that  Almighty  Being,  "  in  whose  hand  our  life 
is,  and  whose  are  all  our  ways."  This  was  likewise 
the  characteristic  sin  of  the  rich  voluptuary,  "who  was 
clothed  in  purple  and  fine  linen,  and  fared  sumptuous- 
ly every  day."  He  was  not  a  miser,  neither  were  the 
poor  driven  with  insolence  from  his  door ;  for  Lazarus 
lay  at  his  gate,  and  was  fed  with  the  crumbs  from  his 
table.  But  he  was  forgetful  of  God ;  his  riches  were 
his  confidence ;  and  led  him  to  scepticism  and  irreli- 
gion,  and  to  overlook  and  even  deny  the  great  realities 
of  the  eternal  world.  This  is  evident  from  his  request, 
that  Lazarus  would  go,  in  the  capacity  of  a  prophet, 
and  testify  to  his  brethren  the  truth  and  reality  of  a  fu- 
ture state  of  existence. 

This  confidence  in  riches  has,  in  thousands  of  instan- 
ces, been  a  snare  to  professors  of  religion,  especially 
when  the  open  profession  of  genuine  Christianity  ex- 
posed to  hazard  their  worldly  possessions.  Trusting 
more  in  their  wealth  than  in  the  promise  of  divine  pro- 
tection, and  looking  more  earnestly  on  the  things  which 


FROM    COVETOUSNESS.  157 

are  seen  and  temporal,  than  on  those  wliich  are  unseen 
and  eternal,  they  have  turned  aside  from  the  profession 
of  their  faith,  and  virtually  "denied  the  Lord  who 
bought  them."  Eusebius,  the  ecclesiastical  historian, 
relates,  that  "in  the  time  of  the  severe  persecution  of  the 
church  by  the  Emperor  Decius,  the  rich  men  among 
the  Christians  were  the  most  easily  and  miserably  foil- 
ed." The  love  of  the  world  vanquished  their  Christian 
fortitude,  and  led  many  of  them  to  relapse  into  the  pro- 
fession of  Pagan  idolatry.  In  the  time  of  the  Arian 
persecution,  many  of  the  rich  who  occupied  offices 
which  should  have  led  them  "to  contend  earnestly  for 
the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints,"  accommodated 
their  profession  to  their  desires  after  ambition  and  av- 
arice. Like  too  many  in  our  day,  they  had  a  political 
faith  which  was  either  orthodox  or  Arian,  according  as 
the  State  should  determine,  and  as  public  favor  and 
emolument  should  smile  on  the  one  or  the  other.  The 
history  of  the  church  is  full  of  examples  of  this  kind, 
and  there  is  too  much  reason  to  fear  that  there  are 
many  in  our  times,  both  among  the  clergy  and  the  laity 
following  in  their  footsteps.  It  therefore  becomes  eve- 
ry one,  and  especially  those  professors  of  religion  who 
are  possessed  of  wealth,  carefully  to  examine  the  state 
of  their  hearts  on  this  point,  and  ascertain  w^hether  they 
are  "  trusting  in  the  Lord"  or  "  putting  confidence  in 
princes."  In  order  to  the  exercise  of  confidence  in 
God,  it  is  necessary  that  we  should  sometimes  be 
brought  into  straits  and  difficulties.  When  the  poor  are 
in  want,  or  enjoy  but  a  scanty  portion  of  the  good 
things  of  the  world, — if  they  be  Christians,  it  naturally 
leads  them  to  a  sense  of  dependence,  and  to  look  up 
to  Him  from  whom  all  comforts  flow ;  and  it  is  highly 
expedient  for  the  exercise  of  faith  and  hope,  that  we 
should  frequently  feel  that  we  are  dependent  crea- 
tures. But  riches  have  a  tendency,  if  we  be  not  every 
moment  upon  our  guard,  to  make  us  forget  our  depen- 
dence upon  the  Most  High,  and  to  beget  a  spirit  of 
pride  and  self-sufficiency,  as  if  we  were  able  to  guide 
ourselves  through  the  world,  without  being  beholden 
to  the  care  of  Divine  Providence,  But,  let  such  learn 
14 


15S  ON    THE    EVILS    WHICH    FLOW 

to  know,  that  they  stand  as  much  in  need  of  the  care 
and  protection  of  heaven,  as  the  poorest  wretch  that 
wanders  houseless  and  forlorn.  They  have  food  and 
drink  of  every  quality,  and  in  abundance.  But  can 
food  ward  off  calamities  or  death  ?  A  tile  falling  from 
a  house,  the  oversetting  of  a  chariot,  or  a  flash  of 
lightning  from  the  clouds,  will  kill  a  rich  man  as  well 
as  a  poor.  They  have  changes  of  costly  raiment,  while 
the  poor  are  covered  with  rags.  But  will  the  gout,  the 
palsy,  the  stone,  or  the  burning  fever,  pay  any  respect 
to  costly  attire  ?  or  will  the  patient  feel  less  agony  un- 
der them,  because  he  is  covered  with  purple  and  scar- 
let? Besides,  an  earthquake,  an  inundation,  a  tem- 
pest, a  conflagration,  a  shipwreck,  the  perfidy  of  friends, 
the  midnight  robber,  or  the  convulsion  of  nations ;  all 
which  events  are  under  the  direction  of  God — may,  in 
a  few  days,  sweep  from  them  all  their  earthly  posses- 
sions, reduce  them  to  a  state  of  indigence,  and  lay  all 
their  earthly  glory  in  the  dust.  Hence  the  propriety 
of  attending  to  the  admonition  of  the  Psalmist :  "  Trust 
not  in  oppression,  become  not  vain  in  robbery  ;  if  rich- 
es increase,  set  not  your  heart  upon  them.  Trust  in  Je- 
hovah at  all  times,  ye  people,  pour  out  your  heart  be- 
fore him,  God  is  a  refuge  for  us." 

8.  Covetousness  has  produced  all  the  public  evils, 
wars,  and  devastations  which  have  happened  in  every 
age  of  the  world. 

The  records  of  history,  as  I  have  had  occasion  to  no- 
tice, contain  little  else  than  disgusting  details  of  the 
mischiefs  and  the  miseries  inflicted  on  the  world,  by  the 
ambition  and  rapaciousness  of  mankind.  The  earth, 
which  might  long  ago,  have  been  transformed  into  a 
scene  of  fertility  and  beauty,  by  the  benevolent  agen- 
cy of  human  beings,  has,  in  most  of  its  regions,  been 
turned  into  a  scene  of  desolation,  by  destroying  armies 
prowling  over  every  country  in  quest  of  plunder.  Such 
is  the  insatiable  appetite  of  avarice,  that,  not  contented 
with  "  devouring  widow's  houses,"  spoiling  the  weak 
and  defenceless  in  her  native  land,  she  has  aimed  at 


FROM    COVETOUSNESS.  159 

enriching  herself  with  the  plunder  of  Empires.  Like 
hell  and  the  grave,  "  she  has  enlarged  her  desire,  and 
opened  her  mouth  without  measure,  and  the  gloiy,  the 
multitude  and  the  pomp"  of  temples,  cities,  states,  king- 
doms and  continents,  have  become  a  prey  to  her  ever- 
craving  appetite,  and  been  swallowed  up  and  devour- 
ed. Yet  after  all,  she  is  never  satisfied,  and  the  whole 
earth  becomes  too  narrow  a  theatre  for  her  rapacity 
and  ambition.  Alexander,  in  the  mad  career  of  his 
conquests,  subdued  and  plundered  the  greater  part  of 
the  known  world,  and  had  the  riches  and  splendor  of 
its  most  magnificent  cities  at  his  command  ;  yet  when 
he  had  finished  his  course,  he  sat  down  and  wept  like 
a  crocodile,  because  he  had  access  to  no  other  world, 
that  might  serve  as  a  theatre  for  warfare  and  plunder. 
Thus  it  is  that  avarice  would  never  curb  her  boundless 
desires,  till  she  had  glutted  herself  not  only  with  the 
spoils  of  this  terrestrial  region,  but  with  the  treasures  of 
the  universe  ;  yet,  like  hell  and  destruction,  she  would 
never  be  satisfied.  Nor  would  ambition — her  kinsfel- 
low,  and  companion — ever  cease  its  career,  till  it  had 
subdued  every  order  of  intellectual  existence,  ascended 
the  throne  of  the  Most  High,  and  seized  the  reins  of 
universal  government. 

It  would  be  needless  to  bring  forward  illustrations  of 
this  topic,  or  to  attempt  to  show  that  the  covetous  and 
ambitious  principle,  has  been  the  main  cause  of  the 
wholesale  destruction  of  mankind,  and  the  wide  spread 
of  human  misery,  for  almost  the  whole  of  the  records 
of  history  contain  little  else  than  a  continued  series  of 
illustrations  on  this  point ;  and  I  have  already,  under 
the  first  head,  selected  a  few  examples,  which  might  be 
multiplied  a  thousand  fold. 

But,  I  cannot  help  pausing  a  little,  to  reflect  on  the 
numerous  evils,  and  the  incalculable  misery  which  this 
unholy  affection  has  produced  in  the  world.  Could 
we  take  only  a  bird's  eye  view  of  its  operations  and 
effects,  beginning  at  the  first  apostacy  of  man,  and  tra- 
cing them  down  the  stream  of  time  to  the  present  day 
— and  could  we,  at  the  same  time,  stretch  our  eyes 
over  the  globe,  from  north  to  south,  and  from  east  to 


160  ON    THE    EVILS    WHICH    FLOW 

west,  and  contemplate  the  miseries  which  have  follow- 
ed in  its  train  in  every  land — what  an  awful  and  re- 
volting picture  would  be  presented  to  the  view  !  But 
there  is  no  eye,  save  that  of  Omniscience,  which  could 
take  in  the  thousandth  part  of  the  widely-extended 
miseries  and  desolations  which  it  has  in  every  age  pro- 
duced. During  the  period  which  intervened  from  the 
fall  of  man  to  the  deluge,  this  principle  appears  to  have 
operated  on  an  extensive  scale,  for  we  are  told,  that 
"the  wickedness  of  man  was  great,"  and  that  "^/le 
earth  was  filled  with  violence," — evidently  implying 
that  the  strong  and  powerful  were  continually  engaged 
in  seizing  on  the  wealth  and  possessions  of  the  weak 
and  defenceless,  oppressing  the  poor,  the  widow,  and 
the  fatherless,  plundering  cities,  desolating  fields,  and 
carrying  bloodshed  and  ruin  through  every  land — till 
the  state  of  society  rose  to  such  a  pitch  of  depravity, 
as  rendered  it  expedient  that  they  should  be  swept  at 
once,  with  an  overflowing  flood,  from  the  face  of  crea- 
tion. 

After  the  deluge,  it  was  not  long  before  the  lust  of 
ambition  began  again  to  display  itself,  by  an  inordinate 
desire  after  wealth  and  aggrandizement;  and  hence, 
wars  were  re-commenced  among  almost  every  tribe, 
which  have  continued,  in  constant  succession,  through- 
out every  generation,  to  the  present  day.  Wherever 
we  turn  our  eyes  over  the  regions  of  the  globe,  wheth- 
er to  the  civilized  nations  of  Europe,  the  empires  of 
Southern  Asia,  the  frozen  regions  of  Siberia,  the  sultry 
climes  of  Africa,  the  forests  and  wilds  of  America,  or 
even  to  the  most  diminutive  islands,  which  are  spread 
over  the  Pacific  Ocean,  we  behold  Covetousness,  like 
an  insatiable  monster,  devouring  human  happiness,  and 
feasting  on  the  sorrows  and  sufferings  of  mankind. 
But  who  can  calculate  the  amount  of  misery  which  has 
thus  been  accumulated  ?  It  is  more  than  probable,  that 
the  eighth  part  of  the  human  race  has  been  slaughter- 
ed by  the  wars  and  commotions  which  ambition  has 
created  ;  and,  consequently,  more  than  twenty  thousand 
millions  of  mankind  have  become  its  victims  ;  that  is, 
twenty  five  times  the  number  of  human  beings  which 


PROM    COVETOUSNESS.  161 

compose  the  present  population  of  the  globe.  Along 
with  the  destruction  of  such  a  number  of  rational  be- 
ings, we  have  to  take  into  account,  the  millions  of 
mangled  wretches  whose  remaining  existence  was  ren- 
dered miserable,  the  numberless  widows  and  orphans 
who  were  left  to  mourn  the  loss  of  every  thing  dear  to 
them,  the  thousands  of  infants  that  have  been  murder- 
ed, and  of  females  that  have  been  violated,  the  famine 
and  pestilence,  and  the  frightful  desolations,  which  de- 
stroying armies  have  always  left  behind  them.  Many 
spots  of  the  earth,  which  were  beautiful  as  Eden,  have 
been  turned  into  a  hideous  wilderness.  The  most 
splendid  and  magnificent  cities  have  been  set  on  flames 
or  razed  to  their  foundations,  and  "  their  memorials 
have  perished  with  theni."  Even  the  lower  animals 
have  been  dragged  into  battles,  and  have  become  suf^ 
ferers  amidst  the  fury  of  combatants  and  the  wreck  of 
nations.  Such  are  some  of  the  hideous  desolation?, 
and  the  vast  amount  of  human  misery  which  covetous- 
ness  has  created ;  for  to  avarice,  leagued  with  ambi- 
tion, is  to  be  attributed  all  the  wars,  commotions,  and 
devastations,  which  have  ever  visited  the  world. 

Besides  such  wholesale  robberies  and  murders,  cov- 
etousness  is  accountable  for  numerous  public  frauds 
and  mischiefs  committed  on  a  smaller  scale  by  the  pub- 
lic agents  and  others  connected  with  the  governments 
of  every  country.  In  the  management  of  taxes,  the 
collection  of  national  revenues,  in  contracts  for  the  sup- 
ply of  armies  and  navies,  in  claims  for  undefined  per- 
quisites, in  the  bestowment  of  places  and  pensions,  in 
soliciting  and  receiving  bribes,  in  the  sale  and  purchase 
of  government  property, — in  these  and  numerous  other 
instances,  frauds  and  impositions  are  so  frequently 
committed,  as  to  have  become  notorious  to  a  proverb. 
On  such  exuberant  sources  of  wealth,  multitudes  are 
rapidly  enriched  ;  and  while  nations  are  ground  down 
under  a  load  of  taxation,  and  the  industrious  laborer 
and  mechanic  groaning  under  the  pressure  of  poverty, 
a  comparatively  few  are  rolling  in  the  chariots  of  splen^ 
dor,  fattening  on  the  sweat  and  blood  of  millions,  and 
feasting  on  the  sufferings  of  mankind. 
14* 


162  ON    THE    EVILS    WHICH   FLOW 

It  is  amazing  with  what  ease  and  apathy,  men  call- 
ing themselves  Christians,  will  talk  of  the  prospect  of 
war,  m  the  view  of  enriching  themselves  with  such 
pubhc  plunder.  Scarcely  any  thing  is  more  common, 
and  yet  nothing  is  more  diabolical.  To  wish  for  war, 
that  trade  may  revive  and  flourish,  is  to  wish  the  de- 
struction of  ten  thousands  of  our  fellow  creatures,  that 
we  may  add  a  few  pounds  to  our  hoarded  treasures, 
or  have  the  prospect  of  embarking  in  a  profitable  spec- 
ulation. Yet  such  wishes  have  been  indulged  a  thou- 
sand times,  by  many  who  profess  to  be  the  followers  of 
Christ. 

9.  Co\eio\i?,nQ^s  prevents  the  extension  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  and  the  general  improvement  of  Society. 

It  is  by  means  of  the  proper  application  of  money, 
that  the  gospel  is  promulgated,  sinners  converted,  the 
Bible  circulated,  and  the  tidings  of  salvation  conveyed 
to  heathen  lands.  Much  still  remains  to  be  done  in 
these  respects ;  for  more  than  600,000,000  of  mankind 
still  remain  enveloped  in  pagan  darkness.  If  all  the 
members  of  the  Christian  Church,  were  to  contribute 
according  to  their  ability,  this  object,  (the  conversion  of 
the  world.)  however  arduous  and  extensive,  might  ere 
long  be  accomplished.  But  avarice  interposes,  and 
withholds  those  resources  which  are  requisite  for  car- 
rying the  plans  of  Divine  Mercy  into  effect.  If  wealth 
were  not  hoarded  by  covetous  professors  of  religion, 
or  expended  on  their  lusts,  our  Missionary  and  other 
Philanthropic  Societies,  would  soon  have  at  their  dis- 
posal, revenues  twenty  times,  at  least,  their  present 
amount.  How  many  professed  Christians  are  there, 
who  are  wallowing  in  wealth,  and  yet  contributing 
nothing  but  the  smallest  fraction  of  their  substance 
(and  sometimes  nothing  at  all,)  to  the  service  of  God, 
and  the  extension  of  the  Gospel  church  !  And  how 
many  others  are  there,  who,  at  their  death,  leave  twen- 
ty or  thirty  thous;ind  pounds  to  their  friends,  and  even 
to  distant  heirs,  without  bequeathing  a  single  hundred 
— sometimes  not  a  single  guinea,  for  promoting  the 


FROM    COVETOUSNESS.  163 

conversion  of  sinners,  and  the  extension  of  the  Re- 
deemer's kingdom  !  Such  persons,  evidently  belie  their 
Christian  profession,  and  appear  to  have  no  Scriptural 
idea  of  their  obligation  to  "  honor  the  Lord  with  their 
substance,"  and  of  the  great  end  for  vi^hich  wealth  has 
been  bestowed. 

By  such  conduct,  they  virtually  prevent  the  conver- 
sion of  thousands,  the  reformation  of  the  world  ;  and 
the  approach  of  that  period,  when  "  the  knowledge  of 
the  Lord  shall  cover  the  earth,  and  all  flesh  see  his  sal- 
vation." They  declare,  in  point  of  fact,  that  the  hoard- 
ing of  thousands  of  pounds,  (of  which  they  do  not  stand 
in  need,)  is  a  matter  of  more  importance  in  their  eyes, 
than  the  universal  propagation  of  religion,  and  the  eter- 
nal happiness  of  thousands  of  immortal  beings.  What- 
ever profession  they  may  make,  whatever  show  of  pie- 
ty they  may  assume,  they  place  a  barrier  in  the  way 
of  the  progress  of  Christianity,  and  too  plainly  indicate, 
that  the  love  of  the  world  occupies  a  higher  place  in 
their  hearts,  than  the  love  of  God. 

By  such  conduct,  the  general  improvement  of  society 
is  likewise  prevented. 

Before  society  arrives  to  that  state  of  perfection,  of 
wiiich  it  is  susceptible,  much  exertion  and  manifold  re- 
formations are  required.  The  universal  instruction  of 
all  ranks  requires  to  be  established  on  a  more  extensive 
and  permanent  basis  than  it  has  ever  yet  been.  Sem- 
inaries for  the  education  of  the  young,  and  likewise  for 
those  more  advanced  in  life,  require  to  be  multiplied 
at  least  tenfold.  Colleges  and^  academies,  of  different 
descriptions,  still  remain  to  be  established  in  such  num- 
bers as  to  afford  an  adequate  supply  of  intelligent 
teachers  and  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  for  diflfusing  both 
general  and  scriptural  knowledge  among  all  ranks  of 
the  community. 

The  physical  condition  of  mankind,  likewise  requires 
to  be  meliorated  and  improved.  Many  of  our  towns 
and  villages,  require  to  be  new-modelled,  and  render- 
ed clean,  airy,  and  salubrious ;  and  the  condition  of  the 
mechanic  and  the  laboring  poor,  rendered  more  com- 
fortable, and  more  conducive  to  moral  and  mental  im- 


164     *  ON    THE    EVILS    WHICH    FLOW 

prove ment.  All  which  objects  mighty  at  no  distant 
period,  be  fully  accomplished,  were  the  superfluous 
wealth  of  the  professing  Christian  world  properly  di- 
rected, and  applied  to  its  legitimate  objects.  But  all 
such  designs  are  prevented  from  being  brought  into 
effect,  by  the  avarice  of  those  who  profess  to  have  re- 
nounced the  world  and  its  vanities,  and  to  be  looking 
forward  to  a  heavenly  inheritance.  There  can  scarce- 
ly be  a  more  glaring  contradiction,  than  that  which 
such  conduct  and  such  professions  imply.  But  as  this 
is  a  topic  of  peculiar  interest,  I  shall  take  occasion  to 
enter  into  more  minute  detail  on  another  branch  of  our 
subject. 

10.  The  evil  of  covetousness,  will  further  appear,  if 
we  consider  what  would  he  the  consequences  were  this 
impure  affection  u:«iversally  to  prevail. 

Every  principle  and  every  aflfection  in  human  be- 
ings, ought  to  be  tried  by  the  ultimate  consequences 
to  which  it  naturally  and  necessarily  leads.  On  this 
ground,  it  might  be  shown,  that  every  violation  of  the 
Divine  law  leads  to  misery,  in  one  shape  or  another, 
both  to  the  violater  himself,  and  to  all  with  whom  he 
is  connected.  And  farther — that,  if  any  one  com- 
mandment of  the  law  of  God  were  reversed,  or  set 
aside,  or  universally  violated,  not  only  would  the  most 
appalling  consequences  ensue,  but  it  would  lead  to  the 
subversion  of  all  order  among  intelligent  agents,  and 
would  ultimately  produce  the  extermination  of  the  race 
of  man. 

The  same,  of  course,  may  be  affirmed  of  the  covet- 
ous principle.  Were  it  to  reign  supreme  in  the  human 
heart,  and  to  be  universally  acted  upon,  it  would  soon 
lead  to  the  utter  destruction  of  society.  It  would  lead, 
in  the  first  instance,  to  universal  fraud,  deceit  and  false- 
hood ;  so  that  no  domestic  nor  pubhc  business,  nor 
commercial  arrangements  of  any  description,  could  be 
carried  on  with  the  least  degree  of  confidence.  It 
would  next  lead  to  universal  rapacity  and  plunder, 
which  would  produce  a  scene  of  turbulence  and  horror 


FROM    COVETOUSFESS.  165 

in  which  no  human  being  could  enjoy  for  any  length 
of  time,  either  happiness  or  repose.  The  strong  would 
seize  upon  the  possessions  of  the  weak  and  defence- 
less, without  the  least  remorse,  and  deprive  them  of 
every  thing  that  tends  to  enjoyment.  Every  one's  cov- 
etous eye  would  be  directed  to  the  possessions  of  his 
neighbor ;  and,  by  a  thousand  insidious  and  malignant 
schemes,  or  by  open  violence,  every  thing  would  be 
seized  upon,  and  appropriated  for  the  purpose  of  grat- 
ifying the  covetous  appetite.  No  one's  life  would  be 
secure  for  a  single  week,  and  murders  w^ould  be  daily 
committed  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  the  wealth  and 
possessions  of  the  opulent.  Of  course,  peace,  and  har- 
mony, and  kindness,  would  be  unknown  among  men  ; 
every  man's  covetous  heart  be  filled  with  malignity, 
and  set  against  the  interests  of  his  neighbor.  In  the 
progress  of  such  rapacity  and  plundering,  wars  of  the 
most  ferocious  nature  would  take  place.  One  nation 
would  invade  the  territories  of  another,  for  the  purpose 
of  plunder ;  and,  in  the  midst  of  the  contests  for  spoil, 
cities  and  towns  would  be  demolished ;  fruitful  fields 
transformed  into  a  scene  of  desolation,  and  myriads  of 
the  human  race  slaughtered  in  every  land.  Amidst 
such  dreadful  commotions,  the  fields  would  be  permit- 
ted to  lie  waste  and  uncultivated,  and  human  beings 
would  be  gradually  diminished  by  slaughter,  and  uni- 
versal famine,  till,  in  the  course  of  a  generation  or  two, 
the  whole  race  would  be  extirpated  from  the  earth. 

Such  would  evidently  be  the  progress  and  the  dread- 
ful effects  of  the  covetous  principle,  were  it  to  operate 
unwersally  and  unrestrained.  Such  effects,  indeed,  it 
has  already,  to  a  certain  degree,  produced ;  and  the  an- 
nals of  every  nation  under  heaven,  bear  witness  to  the 
melancholy  truth.  And,  were  it  not,  that  it  is  counter- 
acted and  restrained  in  its  operations  by  the  overru- 
ling Providence  of  God,  by  the  force  of  natural  con- 
science, and  by  the  influence  of  Christian  principles 
and  motives,  it  would  soon  transform  this  globe  into  an 
immense  sepulchre,  overspread  with  desolation  and  dead 
men's  bones,  and  fit  only  for  a  habitation  to  the  beasts 
of  prey.     The  very  circumstance,  that  it  has  never  yet 


166  ON    THE    EVILS    WHICH    FLOW 

produced  such  a  terrible  effect,  is  an  evident  proof  that 
a  moral  Governor  superintends  the  affairs  of  this  world, 
and  by  his  wise  and  merciful  arrangements,  sets  "  re- 
straining bounds"  to  the  passions  of  men,  that  his  be- 
nevolent purposes  in  relation  to  our  race,  may  be  in  due 
time  accomplished. 

It  is  evident,  then,  that  an  affection  which  produces 
such  debasement  of  mind,  and  which  naturally  leads  to 
such  dismal  and  appalling  consequences,  must  embody 
within  it  the  essence  of  almost  every  evil,  and  of  eve- 
ry species  of  moral  turpitude  ;  and,  although  it  may 
appear  comparatively  harmless,  when  confined  to  a 
narrow  sphere,  and  covered  with  a  cloak  of  hypocrisy, 
yet  it  only  requires  to  burst  its  confinement,  to  be  blown 
into  a  flame,  and  to  have  free  scope  for  its  destructive 
energies,  in  order  to  undermine  and  overturn  the 
wdiole  fabric  of  the  moral  universe.  This  considera- 
tion, deserves  the  serious  attention  of  every  one  who 
feels  the  least  rising  of  such  an  unhallowed  passion,  and 
should  induce  him  to  exercise  holy  jealousy  over  him- 
self, and  to  use  every  Scriptural  mean  to  repress  and 
counteract  its  first  emotions.  His  prayer  to  God  should 
be  like  that  of  the  Psalmist,  "  Search  me,  O  God,  and 
knov/  my  heart;  try  me,  and  know  my  thoughts. 
Turn  away  mine  eyes  from  beholding  vanity;  incline 
my  heart  unto  thy  testimonies,  and  not  to  covetousness, 
and  lead  me  in  thy  way  everlasting." 

I  might  likewise  have  enumerated  among  the  evils 
produced  by  covetousness,  the  host  of  vices,  and  the 
anxious  fears,  and  tumultuous  passions  connected  with 
this  affection — its  baneful  influence  on  friends  and  re- 
latives, and  on  general  society  ;  that  it  incapacitates  the 
individual  in  whose  heart  it  reigns  for  enjoying  substan- 
tial happiness  ;  that  it  was  one  of  the  impulsive  causes 
of  the  death  of  Christ ;  that,  when  fostered  through  life, 
it  becomes  inveterate  in  old  age,  and  retains  its  strength 
and  vigor,  when  almost  every  other  vice  has  withered 
and  decayed  ;  and,  that  it  has,  to  a  certain  extent,  pre- 
vented the  union  of  the  Christian  church,  and  the  af- 
fectionate intercourse  of  its  members.  But  w^ithout 
dwelling  on  these  and  such  particulars,  I  shall  only  ob- 
serve, 


FROM    COVETOUSNESS.  167 

In  the  last  place, — that  covetousness  indulged  and 
persisted  in  through  life,  wfallibly  leads  to  misery  in  the 
life  to  come. 

"  Be  not  deceived,"  says  an  ambassador  of  heaven, 
"neither  idolaters,  nor  theives,  nor  covetous,  nor  revilers, 
nor  extortioners,  shall  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God." 
What  a  terrible  and  appalling  denunciation,  when  con- 
templated in  all  its  extent,  and  its  eternal  consequen- 
ces !  Such  characters  shall  not  inherit  the  Jdngdom  of 
God.  And  we  are  expressly  told,  that  they  who  are 
banished  from  this  kindom,  "  shall  be  cast  into  the  lake 
of  fire  which  burneth  forever  and  ever ;"  and  that  "  they 
shall  be  punished  with  everlasting  destruction  from  the 
presence  of  the  Lord,  and  from  the  glory  of  his  power." 
A  covetous  man,  is  therefore,  in  as  direct  a  course  to 
eternal  misery,  as  the  most  licentiotls  profligate,  or  the 
most  atrocious  characters.  If  men  really  believed  in 
the  realities  of  an  eternal  world,  and  in  the  certainty  of 
such  terrible  denunciations  being  accomplished,  how 
would  it  make  their  whole  frame  tremble  at  the  awful 
prospect !  But  no  hearts  are  harder  than  the  hearts  of 
the  covetous.  They  are  surrounded  as  with  a  wall  of 
adamant,  and  fortified  against  every  admonition,  so  that 
neither  the  voice  from  Mount  Zion,  nor  the  threaten- 
ings  from  Sinai,  can  make  the  least  impression ;  and 
the  longer  they  live  in  the  world,  the  more  impenetra- 
ble do  they  become,  till,  in  the  righteous  judgment  of 
God,  they  are  sometimes  given  up  to  a  hardness  which 
nothing  will  penetrate  but  the  sharpness  of  "  unquench- 
able fire."  This  is  a  consideration  which  demands  the 
serious  attention  of  the  young,  and  of  those  in  the  prime 
of  life.  It  shows,  with  what  care  and  holy  caution, 
they  ought  to  guard  against  the  first  emotions  of  every 
vicious  passion,  and  particularly  against  the  emotions 
of  covetousness ;  for,  if  they  be  indulged,  they  will 
grow  with  their  growth,  and  strenghten  with  their 
strength,  till  they  become  inveterate  habits,  which  no 
human  power  can  eradicate. 

I  have  already  shown,*  that  the  covetous  must  ne- 

♦  See  pages  ^Q,  97. 


168  ON    THE    EVILS    WHICH  PLOW 

cessarily  be  banished  from  the  kingdom  of  the  just,  be- 
cause they  are  altogether  unfit  for  reHshing  its  pleas- 
ures, or  engaging  in  its  employments.  But  exclusion 
from  the  society  and  the  joys  of  heaven,  is  not  the  only 
punishment  they  will  suffer.  They  will  be  subjected 
to  positive  misery  ;  and,  among  other  sources  of  mise- 
ty,  they  will  be  tormented  with  restless  and  insatiable 
desires,^  which  will  always  be  raging,  and  which  will 
never  be  gratified.  In  the  present  life,  while  covetous 
desires  were  raging,  they  were  partially  gratified.  But, 
in  the  future  world,  gold,  and  silver,  and  splendid  pos- 
sessions ;  such  as  are  now  the  object  of  desire,  will  be 
forever  beyond  their  reach ;  and,  consequently,  they 
must  suffer  all  that  is  included  in  boundless  desires  and 
craving  appetites,  which  are  never  to  be  gratified.  Be- 
sides, all  that  is  included  in  those  striking  representa- 
tions of  Scripture — "the  worm  that  never  dies;  the 
fire  that  is  never  quenched  ;  weeping  and  wailing,  and 
gnashing  of  teeth  ;  and  the  blackness  of  darkness  for- 
ever," will  be  the  portion  of  the  ambitious  and  avari- 
cious sinners,  who  are  banished  from  the  glories  of  the 
New  Jerusalem.  What  will  it  then  avail  the  covetous 
sinner,  that  he  had  heaped  up  gold  as  the  dust,  and  sil- 
ver as  the  stones  of  the  field?  or  the  ambitious  sinner, 
that  he  rolled  on  the  wheels  of  splendor,  and  fared 
sumptuously  every  day  ?  Will  riches  profit  in  the  day 
of  wrath  ?  Will  the  recollection  of  bags  of  gold,  and 
chests  of  dollars  treasured  up  in  this  fleeting  world  for 
profligate  heirs,  alleviate  the  anguish  of  the  miser's  soul 
in  the  place  of  punishment  ?  Will  the  gay  and  licen- 
tious w^orldling  find  his  torments  assuaged  by  revolving 
the  idea,  that  he  was  transported  to  hell  in  a  splendid 
chariot  ?  and  that  he  left  his  degenerate  offspring  to 
be  conveyed  with  the  same  pomp  and  equipage  to  the 
place  of  misery  ?  Alas  !  such  recollections,  instead  of 
alleviating,  will  only  enhance  the  unutterable  anguish 
of  the  inhabitants  of  Tophet,  and  add  new  fuel  to  the 
fire  which  is  never  to  be  quenched.  Oh,  that  the  sons 
of  avarice  and  ambition,  "  were  wise,  that  they  under- 
stood these  things,"  and  that  they  would  consider  the 
eternal  consequences  of  their  present  affections  and 


FROM    COVETOUSNESS.  169 

conduct  ?  Nothing  can  be  more  foolish  than  to  prefer 
shadows  to  realities,  trifles  to  the  most  momentous  con- 
cerns, fleeting  baubles  to  an  enduring  substance,  riches 
that  perish  in  the  using  to  "  a  treasure  in  the  heavens 
that  fadeth  not,"  the  fashion  of  the  world  that  passeth 
away,  to  an  incorruptible  inheritance,  and  an  exceed- 
ing great  and  eternal  w^eight  of  glory."  What  is  the 
hope  of  the  hypocrite  when  God  taketh  away  his  soul  ? 
Yea,  "  what  will  it  profit  a  man,  though  he  should  gain 
the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  ow^n  soul?  or  what 
shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  soul  ?"  It  is  there- 
fore the  dictate  of  true  wisdom,  and  accordant  with 
every  rational  principle ;  to  mortify  every  unholy  affec- 
tion, to  despise  the  vain  blandishments  of  the  world, 
that  lieth  in  wickedness,  to  exercise  contentment  under 
the  allotments  of  Providence,  and  to  aspire  after  the 
enjoyment  of  that  inheritance  "  which  is  incorruptible, 
and  that  fadeth  not  away." 


15 


CHAPTER  V. 


ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  BY  WHICH  CHRISTIANS  SHOULD 
BE  DIRECTED  IN  THE  APPLICATION  OF  THEIR 
WEALTH. 

There  are,  perhaps,  few  things  connected  with  the 
social  State,  of  more  importance  than  the  proper  distri- 
bution and  appUcation  of  wealth ;  yet  there  is  no  sub- 
ject about  which  so  many  foolish  and  erroneous  con- 
ceptions are  entertained.  Every  man  seems,  in  this 
respect,  to  consider  himself  as  a  kind  of  independent 
being,  and  to  imagine,  that  he  has  full  power,  both 
physical  and  moral,  "  to  do  with  his  own  as  he  pleas- 
es." That  he  is  invested  with  a  sovereign  right,  either 
to  give  or  to  withhold  his  money  as  he  thinks  fit,  and 
that  no  one  has  authority  to  say  to  him,  "  what  dost 
thou  ?"  Even  Christians,  have  not  yet  learned  the  le- 
gitimate use  and  application  of  riches,  notwithstanding 
the  pointed  injunctions,  and  the  specific  principles  on 
this  subject  laid  down  in  the  word  of  God  ;  and  hence, 
it  has  too  frequently  been  considered  as  no  way  incon- 
sistent with  the  profession  of  Christianity,  for  Christians 
to  act,  in  this  respect,  in  accordance  with  the  maxims 
of  general  society,  and  the  common  practices  of  the 
men  of  the  world. 

It  is  now  more  than  time,  that  other  and  nobler  views 
were  entertained,  and  acted  upon  by  those  who  pro- 
fess to  be  followers  of  the  lowly  Jesus — views  accord- 
ant with  the  instructions  of  their  Divine  Master,  and 
the  admonitions  of  his  holy  prophets  and  apostles.  In 
order  to  a  slight  elucidation  of  this  subject,  I  shall  in 
the  first  place  offer  a  few  general  remarks,  connected 


172^^  PRINCIPLES    BY    WHICH 

with  this  topic, — and,  in  the  next  place,  inquire  what 
proportion  of  their  worldly  substance.  Christians  ought 
to  consecrate  to  the  good  of  society,  and  the  promotion 
of  religion. 

I.  In  reference  to  the  first  department  of  this  sub- 
ject, the  following  general  principles,  among  many  oth- 
ers, require  to  be  recognized. 

1.  God  is  the  original  source  of  all  the  riches  we 
enjoy. 

"  The  earth  belongs  to  Jehovah,  and  the  fulness  there- 
of, the  world  and  they  that  dwell  therein.  Every  beast 
of  the  forest  is  his,  and  the  cattle  upon  a  thousand 
hills."  "  The  silver  is  mine,  and  the  gold  is  mine,  saith 
the  Lord  of  Hosts."  All  the  treasures  of  the  universe, 
were  brought  into  existence  by  his  creating  power, 
and  distributed,  in  certain  proportions,  to  all  the  ranks 
of  sensitive  and  intellectual  existence,  which  people  the 
amplitudes  of  creation.  To  man,  he  assigned  the  pro- 
ductions of  the  field,  the  wealth  of  the  mineral  king- 
dom, and  the  treasures  of  the  deep  ;  and  it  is  owing  to 
his  benevolent  care  and  overruling  Providence,  that 
any  one  is  permitted  to  procure  such  riches,  and  to  en- 
joy those  comforts,  of  which  they  are  the  sources. 
Hence,  it  is  declared  by  an  inspired  writer  ;  "  Thine, 
O  Lord,  is  the  greatness,  and  the  power,  and  the  glo- 
ry ;  for  all  that  is  in  the  heavens  and  in  the  earth,  is 
thine.  Thine  is  the  kingdom,  O  Lord,  and  thou  art 
exalted  above  all.  Both  riches  and  honor  come  of 
thee,  and  thou  reignest  over  all,  and  in  thine  hand  is 
power  and  might ;  and,  in  thine  hand  it  is  to  make 
great,  and  to  give  strength  unto  all."  These  are  truths 
connected  with  the  very  idea  of  the  existence  of  an 
Eternal  and  Independent  Being,  from  whom  creation 
derived  its  origin  ;  and  yet  they  are  overlooked  by  the 
greater  part  of  mankind, — as  if  they  were  a  species  of 
independent  beings ;  and  as  if  their  own  powers  alone 
had  procured  them  the  treasures  they  possess.  The 
full  recognition  of  this  fundamental  truth,  that  "  God  is 


CHRISTIANS   SHOtJLD    BE    DIRECTED,   &C.  173 

the  original  source  of  all  riches,"  would  introduce  a 
most  important  change  in  the  views  of  men  with  re- 
gard to  wealth,  and  to  the  purposes  to  which  it  ought 
to  be  applied ;  and  would  produce  a  benign  influence 
on  all  the  movements  of  the  Christian,  and  the  moral 
w^orld. 


2.  Riches  are  given  as  a  trust  to  he  employed  in  the 
service  of  God,  and  for  the  good  of  men. 

It  is  evident,  from  the  very  nature  of  the  Divine  Be- 
ing, that  wealth  v>^hen  bestowed,  was  intended  to  be 
used  in  accordance  with  his  will,  and  in  subsei'viency 
to  the  accomplishments  of  his  designs,  in  the  moral 
government  of  the  world.  In  conducting  the  affairs  of 
the  moral  system,  human  beings  are  the  agents  he  most 
frequently  employs ;  and  the  wealth  he  has  put  into 
their  hands,  has  a  powerful  influence,  in  accomplishing 
purposes  either  good  or  bad,  according  to  the  disposi- 
tion of  the  agents.  If  he  has  intended,  as  his  word  de- 
clares, that  the  revelations  of  his  will,  should  be  made 
known  throughout  the  world,  and  that  "the  gospel 
should  be  preached  to  every  creature ;"  money  is  one 
of  the  grand  means  by  which  this  important  object  is 
to  be  accompHshed  ;  and,  in  the  present  state  and  con- 
stitution of  the  world,  or,  according  to  the  fixed  princi- 
ples of  the  Divine  Government,  it  is  impossible  that, 
without  this  mean,  such  a  design  can  be  brought  into 
effect.*  If  he  has  distributed  wealth  in  different  pro- 
portions, to  different  individuals,  and,  if  it  is  his  inten- 
tion to  communicate  happiness  to  his  creatures,  and 
that  a  certain  proportion  of  his  bounty  should  be  en- 
joyed by  all ;  then,  it  must  evidently  be  his  will,  that 
those  who  abound  in  riches,  should  "  be  ready  to  com- 
municate," and  to  impart  a  certain  portion  of  them  to 
those  who  are  in  need.      Hence    it   is   commanded, 


*  From  what  we  know  of  the  plan  of  the  Divine  government,  we 
have  no  reason  to  believe,  that  any  miraculous  interposition  will  take 
place  to  eifectuate  the  objects  to  which  I  alliKJer    See  Chapter  VI. 

15* 


174  PRINCIPLES    BY    WHICH 

"  if  thy  brother  be  waxen  poor,  and  fallen  into  decay, 
then  thou  shalt  relieve  him.  Thou  shalt  open  thy  hand 
wide,  and  shalt  surely  lend  him  sufficient  for  his  need 
in  that  which  he  wanteth.''  "  He  that  hath  pity  upon 
the  poor,  lendeth  unto  the  Lord ;  and  that  which  he 
hath  given,  will  he  repay  him  again."  "  Blessed  is  he 
that  considereth  the  poor,  the  Lord  will  deliver  him  in 
the  time  of  trouble."  "  Charge  them  that  are  rich  in 
this  world,  that  they  do  good,  that  they  be  rich  in  good 
works,  ready  to  distribute,  and  willing  to  communi- 
cate." Such  injunctions  are  laid  upon  the  wealthy, 
not  as  a  tax  or  a  bm-den,  but  for  the  purpose  of  calling 
forth  into  exercise  the  principle  of  benevolence  ;  of 
promoting  a  reciprocal  interchange  of  kindly  affections 
and  good  offices  between  man  and  man  :  and  for  de- 
monstrating the  truth  and  efficacy  of  our  Saviour's  Di- 
vine maxim,  "  it  is  more  blessed  to  give,  than  to  re- 
ceive." 

Now,  if  riches,  instead  of  being  applied,  in  part,  to 
such  purposes  as  now  stated,  are  devoted  solely  to  base 
and  selfish  ends,  to  sensual  gratification,  to  foster  a  pas- 
sion for  worldly  splendor  and  aggrandizement,  or  to 
subserve  the  purposes  of  bribery,  political  rancor,  or 
party  spirit — they  are  consecrated  to  objects  directly 
opposite  to  those  which  God  has  commanded,  and  de- 
termined to  accomplish ;  and,  consequently,  have  a 
tendency  to  frustrate,  if  it  were  possible,  the  plan  of 
Divine  Benevolence,  and  the  regeneration  of  the  world. 

Since  riches,  then,  are  committed  to  us,  as  a  trust 
from  God,  to  be  employed  in  his  service  and  accord- 
ing to  his  will,  every  one  who  dares  to  devote  them 
solely  to  such  sinister  purposes,  must  be  considered  as 
trampling  on  the  authority  of  his  Maker,  and  setting  at 
defiance  the  laws  of  Him,  whose  sovereign  will  all  the 
elements  of  nature,  and  all  the  hosts  of  heaven  obey ; 
and,  consequently,  subjects  himself  to  the  inffiction  of 
the  threatenings  denounced  against  such  in  the  Divine 
word. 

Our  Saviour  illustrates  these  positions  in  the  parable 
of  the  nobleman,  who  delivered  to  his  servants  ten 
pounds,  wdth  the  charge,  "  occupy  till  I  come,"  and  in 


CHRISTIANS    SHOULD    BE    DIRECTED,    &C,  175 

the  parable  of  the  "  talents,"  which  were  given  "  to  ev- 
ery one  according  to  his  ability."  These  pounds  and 
talents  evidently  denote,  the  powers,  genius,  wealth,  or 
authority,  with  which  men  are  entrusted  by  their  Cre- 
ator, and  which  ought  to  be  consecrated  to  the  promo- 
tion of  his  glory  and  the  benefit  of  mankind.  That  we 
are  accountable  for  the  use  we  make  of  such  gifts,  ap- 
pears from  the  high  rewards  conferred  on  the  faithful 
servants,  and  from  the  condign  punishment  inflicted  on 
those  who  abused  or  misapplied  the  talents  committed 
to  their  trust :  "  Cast  ye  the  unprofitable  servants  into 
outer  darkness,  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of 
teeth.  These  mine  enemies,  who  would  not  that  I 
should  reign  over  them,  bring  hither  and  slay  them  be- 
fore me."  These  are  words  of  the  most  awful  import ; 
and  the  sufferings  inflicted  on  them  will  be  felt  in  all 
their  appalling  and  eternal  consequences,  by  those  to 
whom  they  refer  ;  and  therefore,  they  deserve  the  most 
serious  consideration  of  all  those,  who,  in  the  spirit  of 
pride  and  independence,  imagine,  that  "  they  can  do 
with  their  own  as  they  please."  And,  if  riches  be  a 
trust  committed  io  us  by  God,  to  be  employed  in  his 
service,  we  are  as  much  bound  to  apply  them  to  their 
legitimate  use,  as  a  servant  to  whom  money  is  entrust- 
ed by  his  master,  is  bound  to  apply  it  to  the  purpose 
for  which  it  was  intended,  and  for  which  he  must  ren- 
der an  account.  And,  at  that  important  day  when  the 
Son  of  man  shall  appear  in  his  glory,  to  call  his  pi'o- 
fessed  servants  to  give  an  account  of  their  stewardship 
— the  manner  in  which  the  wealth  committed  to  our 
care  was  expended,  will  then  undergo  a  solemn  and 
impartial  scrutiny  in  the  presence  of  an  assembled 
world.  And  happy  only  will  they  be,  who  shall  be 
enabled  to  "  give  in  their  account  with  joy,  and  not  with 
grief,"  and  receive  the  approbation  of  the  Great  Mas- 
ter, "  well  done,  good  and  faithful  servants,  enter  ye 
into  the  joy  of  your  Lord."  In  the  description  which 
our  Saviour  gives  of  the  solemnities  of  the  final  judg- 
ment, the  eternal  destiny  of  the  human  race  is  repre- 
sented as  depending  upon  the  manner  in  which  they 
employed  the  wealth  and  influence,  with  which  they 


176  PRINCIPLES    BY    WHICH 

were  entrusted,  "depart  from  me,  ye  cursed;  for  I 
was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  no  meat ;  I  was 
thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  no  drink  ;  I  was  a  stranger, 
and  ye  took  me  not  in  ;  naked,  and  ye  clothed  me  not ; 
sick  and  in  prison,  and  ye  visited  me  not :  verily,  I  say 
unto  you,  in  as  much  as  ye  did  it  not  to  the  least  of 
these,  my  brethren,  ye  did  it  not  to  me.  And  these 
shall  go  away  into  everlasting  punishment,  but  the  right- 
eous into  life  eternal." 

3.  Christians  are  bound  to  dedicate  their  substance 
to  the  LtOr  d,fro?n  a  consideration  of  the  love  of  Christ  in 
laying  down  his  life  for  their  redemption. 

The  apostles,  in  all  their  writings,  delight  to  expati- 
ate on  the  love  of  Christ,  as  comprising  within  its 
range  a  height  and  a  depth,  a  length  and  a  breadth, 
"  which  surpasses  the  grasp  of  human  comprehension, 
and  as  being  the  most  glorious  display  of  Divine  mer- 
cy and  benevolence,  ever  made  to  our  world."  Enrap- 
tured with  this  sublime  idea,  the  apostle  John  exclaims, 
"  Behold  !  what  manner  of  love  the  Father  hath  bestow- 
ed upon  us,  that  we  should  be  called  the  sons  of  God  ! 
In  this  w^as  manifested  the  love  of  God  toward  us,  be- 
cause he  sent  his  only  begotten  Son  into  the  world  that 
we  might  live  through  him.  Herein  is  love,  not  that 
we  loved  God,  but  that  He  loved  us,  and  sent  his  Son 
to  be  the  propitiation  for  our  sins."  This  love  demands 
the  noblest  sacrifices  we  can  make  for  the  honor  of 
God,  and  for  testifying  our  gratitude  for  the  unspeaka- 
ble favors  conferred  upon  us  through  the  death  of  his 
Son.  Hence,  the  apostle  Paul,  in  his  own  name  and 
in  the  name  of  all  true  Christians,  declares,  "  The  love 
of  Christ  constraineth  us,  because  we  thus  judge,  that 
if  one  died  for  all,  then  were  all  dead,  and  that  he  died 
for  all,  that  they  who  live,  should  not  henceforth  lioe 
unto  themselves,  but  unto  hij?i  who  died  for  them  and 
rose  again"  In  this  passage,  the  phrase  "  constraineth 
us  "  imports,  being  carried  along,  or  borne  away  as  with 
a  strong  and  resistless  impulse,  like  that  of  a  torrent 
which  sweeps  away  every  thing  before  it.     The  first 


CHRISTIANS    SHOULD    BE    DIRECTED,    &C.  177 

Christians  were  so  carried  aloft  as  it  were  on  the  wings 
of  love  and  holy  desire,  that  all  selfish  aims  and  worldly 
considerations  were  completely  overpowered  and  sub- 
dued. They  considered  their  wealth  and  influence  as 
wholly  consecrated  to  the  service  of  their  Redeemer ; 
they  forsook  all  their  earthly  possessions  from  love  to 
his  name,  and  that  they  might  promote  the  interests  of 
his  kingdom.  They  took  joyfully  the  spoiling  of  their 
goods,  knowing,  that  in  heaven  they  had  a  better  and 
more  enduring  substance  ;  they  accounted  "  all  things 
as  loss  in  comparison  of  the  excellency  of  Christ  Je- 
sus," and  reckoned  the  sufferings  of  the  present  life  as 
unworthy  to  be  compared  with  the  glory  which  is  to  be 
revealed.  Every  Christian  ought  to  be  animated  with 
such  noble  principles  and  such  elevated  views  and  af- 
fections, if  he  claims  a  right  to  be  distinguished  by  that 
sacred  name.  And,  if  he  is  inspired  with  such  hallow- 
ed emotions,  he  will  not  "  henceforth  live  unto  himself,"' 
for  the  mere  gratification  of  his  own  appetites  and  pas- 
sions, or  for  his  own  ease,  aggrandizement,  or  secular 
interests,  as  if  these  were  the  chief  objects  of  their 
pursuit.  But  "he  will  live  unto  Him  who  died  for 
him  and  rose  again."  He  will  consecrate  his  moral 
and  mental  powers,  his  wealth  and  influence,  and  all 
the  talents  he  possesses,  to  the  furtherance  of  the  king- 
dom of  Messiah,  and  the  extension  of  his  glory  through 
the  world  ;  and,  whatever  has  a  bearing,  however  re- 
mote, on  this  grand  object,  will  meet  with  his  cordial 
approbation  and  pecuniary  support.  In  promoting 
such  objects,  he  will  not  be  guided  by  the  narrow  and 
selfish  principles  of  commercial  policy,  but  by  the  ar- 
dor of  his  love  to  the  unseen  Redeemer,  and  by  the 
consideration,  that  all  he  possesses  was  derived  from 
the  Divine  bounty  ;  and  will  say  with  David,  when  he 
distributed  his  treasures  for  rearing  the  temple  of  the 
Lord  ;  "  All  things  come  of  Thee,  and  of  thine  oivn 
have  we  given  thee." 


178  PRINCIPLES    BY    WHICH 


II.  Let  us  now  inquire  more  particularly  what  pro- 
portions of  our  worldly  substance  should  be  directly 
consecrated  to  the  service  of  God. 

This  is  a  point,  which,  in  many  cases,  is  difficult  to 
determine  ;  and  in  some  instances,  it  must  be  left  to 
the  consciences  of  professed  Christians  to  decide,  as  in 
the  sight  of  God,  and  as  amenable  to  him — ^what  por- 
tion of  their  riches  should  be  directly  appropriated  to 
his  service.  But  there  are  certain  general  principles 
which  may  be  laid  down,  by  which,  every  one  who  has 
expansive  views  of  the  importance  of  salvation,  and 
the  nobleness  and  generosity  of  the  Christian  charac- 
ter, may  be  directed  in  this  matter  ;  and  by  which  it 
may  be  made  to  appear,  that  ten  times  more  than  has 
generally  been  allotted  ought  to  be  exclusively  conse- 
crated to  the  honor  of  God,  and  the  regeneration  of 
man.  In  addition  to  the  three  propositions  noticed 
above,  the  following  general  maxims  may  be  stated : — 
1.  Wealth  is  of  use  only  according  to  the  manner  in 
which  it  is  employed.  2.  It  is  by  means  of  riches  that 
the  poor  are  provided  for,  that  the  salvation  of  the  gos- 
pel is  brought  into  effect,  and  that  the  moral  world  will 
ultimately  be  enlightened  and  regenerated.  3.  That 
w^e  ought  to  give  a  portion  of  our  substance,  in  some 
measure  corresponding  to  the  importance  and  the  mag- 
nitude of  the  object  to  which  it  is  devoted.  4.  That  a 
comparatively  small  portion  of  wealth  is  adequate  to 
procure  every  thing  that  is  requisite  to  the  true  happi- 
ness of  man.  5.  That  all  useless  luxuries,  and  splen- 
did equipage,  intended  only  for  mere  pomp  and  show, 
should  be  discarded  by  every  Christian.  6.  That  all, 
or  at  least,  the  greater  part  of  the  wealth  which  re- 
mains, after  providing  in  a  decent  and  Christian  like 
manner  for  the  comfort  of  our  families,  should  be  devo- 
ted to  the  interests  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom,  and  the 
general  improvement  of  the  social  state,  in  subordina- 
tion to  this  grand  object.  7.  That  our  chief  object  in 
acquiring  riches  should  be,  that  we  may  have  it  in  our 


CHRISTIANS    SHOULD   BE    DIRECTED,    &C.  179 

power  to  consecrate  a  large  portion  of  it  to  the  fur- 
therance of  the  grand  objects  to  which  I  allude.  Ta- 
king the  above  and  similar  principles  for  granted,  we 
may  now  descend  to  the  consideration  of  a  few  partic- 
ulars. 


1.  The  proportion  of  wealth  commanded  to  be  dedi- 
cated to  the  service  of  God,  under  the  Jewish  econo- 
my, may  be  considered  as  involving  a  certain  principle, 
by  which  we  may  be  directed  in  similar  allotments  un- 
der the  Chiistian  dispensation. 

It  is  well  known,  that  the  tenth  part  of  the  produce 
of  the  Land  of  Canaan  was  required  from  the  people 
for  the  maintenance  of  the  priests  and  Levites.  "  Be- 
hold," saith  God,  "  I  have  given  the  children  of 
Levi  all  the  tenth  of  Israel  for  their  inheritance, 
for  their  service  which  they  serve."*  This  tithe 
the  people  paid  both  from  the  animal  and  vegetable 
produce  of  their  estates,  from  the  seed  of  the  lands 
and  the  fruit  of  their  trees,  from  their  goats,  sheep,  and 
cattle.f  Out  of  this  tithe  the  Levites  paid  a  tenth 
part  to  the  priests,  for  their  services  connected  with  the 
tabernacle  or  temple.  J  Besides  this  tithe  which  the 
people  were  ordered  to  pay  to  the  Levites,  they  were 
also  to  pay  a  tenth  part  of  the  remaining  nine  parts, 
of  that  tithe  to  make  a  feast  in  the  court  of  the  sanctu- 
ary, or  in  some  apartment  belonging  to  it.  At  this 
feast,  which  was  kept  as  an  expression  of  their  gratitude 
to  God  for  the  bounties  of  his  providence,  they  were  to 
entertain,  along  with  their  own  families,  some  of  the 
Levites.§  The  priests  were  the  ministers  of  Jehovah, 
who  superintended  the  offerings  at  his  altar,  and  con- 
ducted the  worship  of  the  sanctuary.  The  Levites  were 
dispersed  among  the  other  tribes  throughout  every  part 
of  Canaan,  and  had  forty-eight  cities  allotted  them,  of 
which  thirteen  belonged  to  the  priests.     Their  princi- 

*  Numb,  xviii.  -21. 

tLevit.  xxvii.  30.    2  Chron,  xxxi.  5,  6. 

t  Numb,  xviii.  25,  28. 

§  Deut.  xii.  18,  18 ;  xiv.  22—27.    Lev.  xxviii.  31, 


180  PRINCIPLES    BY    WHICH 

pal  office  was,  to  instruct  the  people  in  the  law  of 
God,  and  to  preserve  and  teach  knowledge  throughout 
the  whole  land.  So  that  the  tithe  of  the  produce  of 
the  land  was  appointed  not  only  for  the  support  of  the 
priests,  but  for  the  instructors  of  youth,  and  of  all  classes 
of  the  people  throughout  the  tribes  of  Israel. 

Besides  this  regular  tithe,  the  Jews  were  obliged  to 
abstain  from  all  the  fruits  that  grew  on  trees  new 
planted,  for  the  first  three  years,  which  were  accounted 
as  uncircumcised,  and  it  was  a  crime  for  the  owners  to 
appropriate  them.*  The  fruits  of  the  fourth  year 
were  devoted  to  the  Lord :  they  were  either  sent  to 
Jerusalem,  or,  being  valued,  they  were  redeemed  by  a 
sum  equivalent  paid  to  the  priest,  so  that  the  people 
did  not  begin  to  enjoy  the  produce  of  their  fruit  trees 
till  the  fifth  year.  They  were  likewise  obliged  every 
year  to  offer  to  God  "  the  first  of  all  the  fruits  of  the 
earth.''f  "  When  the  head  of  a  family,"  says  Saurin, 
"  walked  in  his  garden  and  perceived  which  tree  first 
bore  fruit,  he  distinguished  it  by  tying  on  a  thread,  that 
he  might  know  it  when  the  fruits  were  ripe.  At  that 
time,  each  father  of  a  family  put  that  fruit  into  a  bas- 
ket. At  length,  all  the  heads  of  families  who  had  gath- 
ered such  fruit  in  one  town,  were  assembled,  and  dep- 
uties were  chosen  by  them  to  carry  them  to  Jerusalem. 
These  offerings  w^ere  put  upon  an  ox,  crowned  with 
flowers,  and  the  commissioners  of  the  convoy  went  in 
pomp  to  Jerusalem  singing  these  words  of  the  122d 
Psalm,  '  I  was  glad  when  they  said  unto  me,  let  us 
go  up  to  the  house  of  the  Lord.'  When  arrived  at 
the  city  they  sung  these  words,  *  Our  feet  shall  stand 
within  thy  gates,  O  Jerusalem.'  At  length,  they  went 
into  the  temple,  each  carrying  his  offering  on  his  shoul- 
ders, the  king  himself  not  excepted,  again  singing,  '  Lift 
up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates,  and  be  ye  lifted  up,  ye  ever- 
lasting doors.  Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates,  and  be  ye 
lifted  up,  ye  everlasting  doors.' "  The  Jews  were  also 
obliged  to  leave  the  corn  "  on  the  corners  of  the  fields," 

*  Lev.  xix,  23.  t  Deut.  xxvi.  2—18. 


CHRISTIANS    SHOULD    BE    DIRECTED,    &C.  181 

for  the  use  of  the  poor  *  and  in  order  to  avoid  the 
frauds  which  might  be  practised  in  this  case,  it  was  de- 
termined to  leave  the  sixtieth  part  of  the  land  as  a  just 
proportion  for  the  poor.  The  ears  of  corn  which  fell 
from  the  hands  in  harvest,  were  devoted  to  the  same 
purpose  ;  and  the  Jews  held  themselves  obliged  by  this 
command  of  God,  not  only  to  leave  the  poor  such  ears 
of  corn  as  fell  by  chaiice,  but  to  let  fall  some  freely, 
and  of  purpose  for  them  ta  glean.  The  produce  of 
the  earth,  every  seventh  year  belonged  to  the  poor,  at 
least  the  owner  had  no  more  right  than  those  who  had 
no  property.f  This  command  is  express,  and  the  Jews 
have  such  an  idea  of  this  precept,  that  they  pretend  the 
captivity  in  Babylon  was  a  punishment  for  the  violation 
of  it.  All  debts  contracted  among  the  Jews  were  re- 
leased at  the  end  of  every  seven  years  ;  so  that  a 
debtor  that  could  not  discharore  his  debts  within  seven 
years,  was,  at  the  end  of  that  time,  released  from  all 
obligation  to  discharge  it.J  To  all  these  offerings  and 
expenses  are  to  be  added  extraordinary  expenses  for 
sacrifices,  oblations,  journeys  to  Jerusalem  at  the  sol- 
emn feasts,  the  half-shekels  to  the  sanctuary,  and  vari- 
ous other  items  connected  with  the  political  state  and 
ceremonial  worship  of  the  Jew^s,  so  that  more  than  one- 
fourth,  and  perhaps  nearly  one-half  of  their  incomes 
was,  in  «uch  ways,  devoted  to  public  and  religious  pur- 
poses. 

Now,  if  the  tenth  part,  at  least,  of  the  income  of  ev- 
ery Israelite  was  to  be  devoted  to  such  purposes,  it 
would  seem  to  follow,  that  nothing  less  than  this  pro- 
portion should  be  allotted  by  every  Christian  under  the 
gospel  dispensation,  for  similar  or  analogous  purposes. 
But  it  does  not  limit  us  to  this  proportion  ;  as  there  are 
obvious  reasons  why  it  should  be  much  greater  under 
the  New  Testament  economy.  If  the  propagation  of 
Divine  knowledge  within  the  narrow  hmits  of  Judea 
required  such  a  proportion  of  the  income  of  every  in- 
dividual, while  no  missions  were  appointed  to  surround- 
ing nations  ;  much  more,  it  is  evident,  is  required  un- 

•  Lev.  xix.  9.  t  Lev.  xxv.  t  Deut.  xv.  2. 

16 


182  PRINCIPLES   BY    WHICH 

der  the  present  dispensation,  when  we  are  commanded 
to  "  Go  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  ev- 
ery creatm-e,"  and  when  more  than  six  hundred  millions 
of  the  earth's  population,  are  still  immersed  in  Pagan 
and  Mahometan  darkness,  ignorant  of  "  the  true  God 
and  of  Jesus  Christ  whom  he  hath  sent."  The  exer- 
tion now  required  ought  to  be  in  some  measure  pro- 
portionate to  the  magnitude  and  extent  of  the  work  to 
be  accomplished,  and  would  require  an  expansion  of 
heart,  and  the  manifestation  of  a  spirit  similar  to  that 
wiiich  was  displayed  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when 
"  all  that  believed  were  together  and  had  all  things 
common,  and  sold  thei?^ possessions  and  goods ,"  and  de- 
voted them  to  the  cause  of  their  Redeemer.  If  Christ- 
ians be  really  in  earnest,  as  they  ought  to  be,  why 
should  they  hesitate  a  moment  on  this  subject  1  If 
they  see  misery  every  where  around  them,  and  multi- 
tudes perishing  in  their  sins,  if  they  behold  hundreds  of 
millions  of  the  heathen  world,  overspread  w^ith  moral 
and  intellectual  darkness,  and  perishing  for  lack  of 
knowledge,  if  even  the  rude  inhabitants  of  the  Navi- 
gator's isles,  are  sending  their  urgent,  petitions  from 
afar,  saying,  "  Send  over  missionaiies  and  help  us ;" 
if  they  are  saying,  almost  in  an  agony,  as  they  lately 
did  to*  Mr.  Williams,  when  he  promised  to  come  to  Brit- 
ain for  a  supply, — "  We  shall  perhaps  die,  w^e  shall  die, 
we  shall  die.  before  you  can  return  ;"  if  Christians  be- 
lieve that  "  the  redemption  of  the  soul  is  precious,"  and 
that  the  eternal  happiness  of  immortal  minds  so  far 
surpasses  in  value,  the  floating  honors  of  the  world,  as 
the  heavens  in  height  surpass  the  earth ;  why  should 
they  remain  in  apathy  or  halt  between  two  opinions  on 
this  point  ?  Let  wealthy  Christians  come  forw^ard  with 
a  noble  spirit,  and  either  consecrate  a  liberal  portion 
of  their  riches,  wnth  cheerfulness,  for  such  objects,  or 
take  the  only  consistent  alternative — throw  aside  alto- 
gether the  Christian  name ;  for  a  covetous  Christian  is 
a  nuisance  in  the  church  of  God,  and  a  contradiction  in 
terms. 

Let  us  now  consider  the  sums  that  might  be  raised, 
supposing  only  one-tenth  of  income  to  be  set  apart  for 


CHRISTIANS    SHOULD    BE    DIRECTED,    &C.  183 

the  purposes  of  philanthropy  and  religion.  Supposing 
the  population  of  Great  Britain  to  amount  to  16,000,000, 
and  reckoning  only  2,000,000  heads  of  families,  or  the 
eighth  part  of  the  population  to  be  connected  with  a 
Christian  church  ;  and  supposing  farther,  that  only  one 
fiftieth  of  these,  or  40,000,  have  incomes  averaging 
£500  ;  the  tenth  of  those  incomes  would  produce  a 
sum  of  £2,000,000.  Supposing  the  tenth  part  of  the 
remaining  population,  196,000,  to  have  incomes  of 
£200  a  year,  the  annual  tithe  would  be  £3,920,000. 
Suppose  the  remaining  1,764,000,  to  have,  at  an  aver- 
age, £80  per  annum,  its  tithe  would  amount  to  £14,- 
112,000,  so  that  the  w^hole  of  this  supposed  annual 
tithe  of  income  w^ould  amount  to  above  twenty  mil- 
lions  of  pounds,  which  is  more  than  forty  times  the 
amount  of  the  annual  funds  of  the  Bible.  Missionary, 
and  other  philanthropic  societies  in  Great  Britain,  which 
do  not  amount  to  half  a  million.  In  this  calculation,  I 
have  not  taken  into  account  a  million  or  two  of  grown- 
up individuals,  belonging  to  the  different  families  in  the 
kingdom,  who  have  separate  establishments  from  their 
parents,  and  who  might  be  supposed  to  contribute  sev- 
eral millions  of  pounds.  Nor  have  I  taken  into  the 
calculation  several  thousands  of  the  nobility  and  gen- 
try, who  occupy  the  highest  places  of  society — some 
of  whom  could  afford  from  one  to  ten  thousand  pounds 
annually,  and  which  would  add  a  considerable  number 
of  millions  to  the  sum  above  stated.  If  such  sums 
could  be  raised,  w^ithout  subtracting  any  substantial 
comfort  from  a  single  individual,  how  small  is  the  num- 
ber of  Christians  worthy  of  the  name,  to  be  found  in 
our  country  ?  since  the  fiftieth,  or  even  the  hundredth 
part  of  this  sum  can  scarcely  be  raised  among  all  the 
ranks  and  denominations  of  Religious  society.  But 
much  more  than  even  the  above  stated  proportion 
ought,  in  numerous  instances,  to  be  devoted  to  religion 
and  philanthropy.  If,  for  example,  a  person  has  an 
income  of  £900  a  year,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying, 
that,  if  he. wish  to  act  as  a  steward  under  God,  for  the 
distribution  of  his  bounty,  he  ought  to  consecrate,  at 
least,  £400  annually  to  the  promotion  of  Christianity 


184  PRINCIPLES    BY    WHICH 

and  general  improvement.  And,  will  any  one  aver, 
that  the  remainmg  £500  is  not  sufficient  to  procure  ev- 
ery comfort  that  a  rational  or  Christian  character 
ought  to  desire.  But  the  whole  £900  it  may  be  said, 
is  requisite  for  the  mdividual  to  keep  up  the  dignity  of 
his  station.  If  keeping  up  the  pomp  and  dignity  of  a 
station,  is  to  be  set  in  competition  with  the  demands  of 
religion,  then  let  the  individual  take  the  world  on  his 
back  and  march  off  as  far  as  he  can  from  Christian 
society  ;  for  such  persons  have  too  frequently  been  a 
pest  to  religious  associations.  Verily  1  say  unto  him 
he  shall  have  his  reward  ;  but  a  reward  alter  which,  I 
trust  in  God,  I  shall  never  aspire.  Let  such  remember 
the  Divine  admonition,  "  Ye  cannot  serve  God  and 
mammon."  There  is  an  absolute  incompatibility  be- 
tween the  service  of  the  one  and  of  the  other  ;  and  he 
who  is  not  prepared  to  give  up  worldly  maxims,  pomp, 
and  splendor,  and  to  devote  his  influence  and  his  super- 
flous  wealth,  to  the  cause  of  religion,  ought  not  to  as- 
sume the  Christian  name. 


2.  The  voluntary  contributions  made  at  different 
times  under  the  Jewish  economy  may  be  considered  as  a 
guide  to  direct  us  in  the  liberality  which  should  be  dis- 
played among  Christians. 

When  the  tabernacle  was  about  to  be  reared  in  the 
wilderness,  there  was  a  noble  display  of  liberality  on 
the  part  of  the  people.  "  They  came,  both  men  and 
women,  as  many  as  were  wilhng  hearted,  and  brought 
bracelets,  and  ear-rings,  and  tablets,  all  jewels  of  gold  ; 
and  every  man  that  offered,  offered  an  offering  of  gold 
to  the  Lord.  And  every  man  with  whom  was  found  blue, 
and  purple,  and  scarlet,  and  fine  linen,  and  goats  hair, 
and  red  skins  of  rams  and  badger's  skins,  brought  them. 
Every  one  that  did  ofl^r  an  offering  of  silver  and  brass, 
brought  the  Lord's  offering ;  and  all  the  women  that 
were  wise-hearted  did  spin  with  their  hands,  and 
brought  that  which  they  had  spun,  of  blue,  and  of  pur- 
ple, and  of  scarlet,  and  of  fine  linen.  The  rulers 
brought  onyx  stones,  and  stones  to  be  set  for  the  ephod. 


CHRISTIANS    SHOULD    BE    DIRECTED,    &C.  185 

and  for  the  breast-plate,  and  spice,  and  oil  for  the  light, 
and  for  the  anointing  oil,  and  for  the  sweet  incense," 
&:c.*  Such  was  the  holy  ardor  of  both  sexes,  and  of 
all  ranks  of  the  people,  in  bringing  forward  these  vol- 
untary offerings,  that  it  was  judged  expedient  to  issue 
a  proclamation  to  restrain  their  liberahty.  "  The  peo- 
ple bring  much  more  than  enough  for  the  service  of  the 
work  which  the  Lord  commanded  to  make.  And  Mo- 
ses gave  commandment,  and  it  was  caused  to  be  pro- 
claimed without  the  camp,  saying, — Let  neither  man 
nor  woman  make  any  more  work  for  the  offering  of 
the  sanctuary."!  On  this  occasion,  the  amount  of  the 
offerings  of  gold  and  silver  alone,  was  twenty-nine 
talents,  and  730  shekels  of  gold,  and  100  talents,  and 
1775  shekels  of  silver, J  which,  reckoning  according  to 
the  present  Yslue  of  British  money,  would  nearly  equal 
the  sum  of  four  hundred  thousand  pounds.§  To  this 
sum  must  be  added  the  value  of  the  vast  quantity  of 
brass  which  was  used  in  the  construction  of  the  court 
and  furnitiu-e  of  the  tabernacle — the  rich  embroidered 
curtains  which  covered  it,  and  which  surrounded  the 
court ;  the  jewels  that  were  set  in  the  High  Priest's 
ephod  and  breast-plate,  and  various  other  materials  and 
utensils  which  are  stated  in  the  description  of  this  sa- 
cred edifice — all  of  which  must  have  amounted  to  an 
immense  sum.  Yet  all  this  treasure  was  brought  for- 
ward with  the  greatest  alacrity,  by  a  nation  that  num- 
bered Httle  more  than  half  a  million  of  males,  from 
twenty  years  old  and  upwards,  and  whose  whole  pop- 
ulation must  have  been  inferior  to  that  of  Scotland. 

At  the  dedication  of  the  tabernacle,  some  time  after- 
wards, the  offerings  of  the  twelve  princes,  or  heads  of 
the  tribes  of  Israel,  were  hkewise  munificent,  amount- 
ing in  silver  vessels  to  2400  shekels  of  the  sanctuary, 
and  in  gold  vessels  to  120  shekels,  which,  (reckoning 
the  silver  shekel  at  five  shillings,  and  the  gold  shekel  at 

*  Exod.  XXXV.  22—29.  t  xxxvi.  5,  6.  t  xxxviii.  24, 25. 

§  Bishop  Cumberland  calculated  the  eimount  in  English  coin,  to  be 
£182,568.  But  as  this  calculation  was  made  about  a  century  ago,  this, 
sum  requires  to  be  more  than  doubled  to  express  the  present  value  of 
British  money. 

16* 


186  PRINCIPLES    BY    WHICH 

£30,*  according  to  the  present  value  of  British  money) 
would  make  £4200,  or  £350,  for  each  of  the  princes. 
Besides  these,  there  were  Hkewise  offered  thirty-six 
bullocks,  and  216  sheep,  goats  and  lambs,  which  would 
amount  to  about  £800  more.  At  the  dedication  of  the 
Temple,  Solomon  oflered  a  sacrifice  of  22,000  oxen, 
and  120,000  sheep,t  which,  in  value,  was  equal  to  more 
than  £460,000,  a  sum  which  is  greater  than  the  amount 
of  the  whole  funds  of  the  "  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society,"  during  the  first  nine  or  ten  years  of  its  exist- 
ence. When  Hezekiah  commenced  a  work  of  refor- 
mation among  the  people  of  Judah,  similar  costly  sac- 
rifices were  voluntarily  brought  forw^ard  by  the  people. 
"  The  number  of  burnt  offerings  which  the  congregation 
brought,  was  70  bullocks,  100  rams,  200  lambs;  and 
the  consecrated  things,  600  oxen,  and  3000  sheep ; 
which  would  equal  in  value  about  £13,000.  These, 
and  other  consecrated  things,  the  people  offered  with 
the  greatest  cheerfulness  and  alacrity :  "  For  as  soon 
as  the  commandment  came  abroad,  the  children  of 
Israel  brought,  in  abundance,  the  first  fruits  of  corn, 
wine,  and  oil,  and  honey,  and  all  the  increase  of  the 
field,  and  the  tithe  ofholy  things,  which  were  consecra- 
ted to  the  Lord  their  God,  and  laid  them  by  heaps,"J 
so  that  Hezekiah  and  his  princes  when  they  saw  the 
heaps  which  had  been  collected  from  every  part  of  the 
land,  for  four  months,  were  filled  with  gratitude,  and 
"  blessed  Jehovah,  and  his  people  Israel."  All  these 
offerings  flowed  from  the  voluntary  contributions  of 
the  people  ;  and,  although  the  Almighty  does  not  need 
"  to  eat  the  flesh  of  bulls,  or  to  drink  the  blood  of  goats," 
yet  we  are  commanded  to  offer  unto  God  thanksgiving, 
and  to  pay  our  vows  to  the  Most  High."  These  offer- 
ings, in  connection  with  their  typical  references,  were 

*  About  the  beginning  of  last  century  the  Jewish  silver  shekel  was 
valued  at  2s.  6d.  and  the  gold  shekel  at  £15,  corresponding  to  the  value 
of  money  at  that  period ;  but  as  British  money  has  increased  in  value 
since  that  time  more  than  one-half,  the  silver  shekel  ought  not  to  be  val- 
ued at  less  than  5s.  nor  the  gold  one  at  less  than  £30  of  British  money 
at  its  present  standard. — See  Num.  vii.  85-88, 

t  2  Chron.  vii.  5. 

1 2  Chron .  xxix.  32 ;   xxxi.  5-7. 


CHRISTIANS    SHOULD    BE    DIRECTED,    &C.  187 

intended  as  a  manifestation  of  the  gratitude  of  the 
people  to  God  for  all  his  goodness,  and  an  evidence  of 
their  desire  to  co-operate  with  him  in  promoting  his 
merciful  and  gracious  designs  ;  and,  with  similar  views 
ought  all  the  contributions  and  offerings  of  Christians 
to  be  brought  forward. 

When  Josiah,  the  great  grandson  of  Hezekiah,  made 
preparations  for  a  solemn  passover  to  the  Lord,  "  he 
gave  to  the  people  for  the  passover  offerings,  30,000 
Iambs  and  kids,  and  3000  bullocks."  "  And  his  prin- 
ces gave  willingly  to  the  people,  the  priests  and  the 
Levites.  Hilkiah,  Zechariah  and  Jehiel,  rulers  of  the 
house  of  God,  gave  to  the  priests,  for  the  passover,  of- 
fering, 2600  small  cattle  and  300  oxen.  Conaniah  al- 
so, and  Shemaiah  and  Nethaneel,  his  brethren,  and  Ha- 
shabiah,  and  Jehiel,  and  Jozabad,  chief  of  the  Levites, 
gave  to  the  Levites  for  passover  offerings,  5,000  small 
cattle,  and  500  oxen."  The  expense  of  all  these  offer- 
ings, according  to  the  value  of  such  property  in  the 
present  day,  would  amount  to  about  one  hundred  thou- 
sand pounds,  of  which  60,000  was  given  by  the  king. 
The  offerings  of  the  three  rulers  of  the  temple  amount- 
ed to  £13,400,  or  £4,350  to  each  ;  and  those  of  the  six 
chiefs  of  the  Levites  to  £25,000,  which  is  about  £4,166 
to  each  individual,  which  must  certainly  be  considered 
as  munificent  donations,  when  we  consider,  that  they 
were  contributed  only  for  one  particular  solemnity.* 
And  let  it  also  be  remembered,  that  they  were  all  vol- 
untary offerings,  independent  of  the  regular  tithe  and 
other  contributions  required  from  Jewish  worshippers. 
Where  have  we  such  munificent  donations  from  those 
members  of  the  Christian  Church  who  have  incomes 
of  several  thousands  a  year  !  If  two  or  three  philan- 
thropic individuals,  in  the  course  of  a  generation,  be- 
stow such  contributions  for  the  interests  of  religion,  it 
is  considered  as  a  kind  of  phenomenon  in  the  Christian 
world.     When  the  Israelites  returned  from  Babylon  to 

*  In  the  estimate  of  the  vakie  of  the  offerings  here  given,  £10  is  al- 
lowed for  the  price  of  a  bullock,  £1  for  each  of  the  small  cattle,  £2  for 
a  sheep,  and  £1  for  each  of  the  lambs  and  kids.  See  2Chron.  xxxv, 
7-10. 


188  PRINCIPLES    BY    WHICH 

Jerusalem  in  the  days  of  Ezra,  we  are  informed  by 
that  sacred  historian,  that,  when  "  he  w^eighed  the  silver 
and  the  gold,  and  the  vessels,  the  offering  of  the  house 
of  the  Lord,  which  the  king  and  his  lords  and  all  Israel 
there  present  had  offered,"  it  amounted  to  "  650  talents 
of  silver,  and  silver  vessels  an  hundred  talents,  and  of 
gold  an  hundred  talents  ;  also  twenty  basins  of  gold, 
of  a  thousand  drams,  and  two  vessels  of  fine  copper, 
precious  as  gold."  The  whole  value  of  this  dedicated 
treasure,  calculated  at  the  rate  formerly  stated,  would 
amount  to  £701,250.1 

But,  the  most  munificent  donation  of  this  kind  any 
where  recorded,  is  that  of  David,  for  the  purpose  of 
rearing  a  temple  for  the  worship  of  Jehovah.  In  chap- 
ter xxii.  of  the  fiist  book  of  Chronicles,  verse  14,  we 
are  informed,  that  David  "  in  his  trouble  prepared  for 
the  house  of  the  Lord  an  hundred  thousand  talents  of 
gold,  and  a  thousand  thousand  talents  of  silver  ;  and  of 
brass  and  iron  without  weight,"  and  in  chapter  xxix. 
-3 — 9,  it  is  stated,  that  beside  this  sum  there  were  given 
"  three  thousand  talents  of  gold,  of  the  gold  of  Ophir, 
and  seven  thousand  talents  of  refined  silver  to  overlay 
the  walls  of  the  houses."  His  princes,  captains,  and 
the  chief  of  the  fathers  likewise  "  offered  willingly " 
to  the  amount  in  gold  of  "  five  thousand  talents  and  ten 
thousand  drams,  and  of  silver  ten  thousand  talents, 
and  of  brass  eighteen  thousand  talents,  and  one  hun- 
dred thousand  talents  of  iron."  The  whole  of  these 
offerings,  besides  the  brass  and  iron,  amounted  to 
108,000  talents  of  gold,  and  1,017,000  talents  of  sil- 
ver. Now,  as  the  talent  of  gold  has  been  estimated  by 
some  at  £5,425,  and  the  talent  of  silver  at  £342 — the 
whole  of  this  treasure  would  not  be  much  less  than  a 
thousand  millions  of  pounds  sterling.  And  we  are  told, 
that,  in  so  far  from  being  given  with  a  grudge,  "  the 
people  rejoiced,  for  that  they  offered  willingly  ;  because 
with  perfect  heart  they  offered  willingly  to  the  Lord  ; 
and  David  the  king  also  rejoiced  with  great  joy,  and 
blessed  the  Lord  before  all  the  congregation,"  ascribing 

*  Ezra  viii.  25-27. 


CHRISTIANS    SHOULD    BE    DIRECTED,    &C.  189 

the  whole  of  this  treasure,  and  the  liberal  dispositions  of 
the  donors  to  Him  who  is  the  creator  of  heaven  and 
earth,  and  the  original  source  of  every  blessing.  "  All 
things  come  of  thee,  and  of  thine  own  have  we  given 
thee.  All  this  store  we  have  prepared  to  build  thee 
an  house,  for  thy  holy  name  cometh  of  thine  hand,  and 
is  all  thine  own" 

Several  other  examples  might  have  been  produced 
to  illustrate  the  liberality  which  was  displayed  under 
the  Old  Testament  economy,  especially  when  the  peo- 
ple were  stirred  up  to  engage  in  a  work  of  reforma- 
tion ;  but  the  above  may  suffice  to  show  that  much 
more  liberal  offerings  were  voluntarily  brought  forward 
in  the  Jewish  church  than  have  generally  been  contrib- 
uted under  the  Christian  dispensation.  And  will  any 
one  presume  to  deny,  that  the  liberahty  displayed  by 
pious  worshippers  among  the  Jews,  ought  to  be  imita- 
ted by  the  faithful  under  the  New  Testament  econo- 
my? The  examples  of  the  pious  Israelites,  in  this 
respect,  were  undoubtedly  intended  as  a  pattern  to  the 
Christian  church,  and  the  offerings  then  made  may  be 
considered  as  typical  or  emblematical  of  the  more 
splendid  offerings  which  would  be  exhibited  by  New 
Testament  saints,  when  "  God  shall  appear  in  his  glory 
to  men,  and  build  up  the  walls  of  his  Jerusalem,"  and 
cause  "  Zion  to  appear  beautiful  and  glorious  in  the 
eyes  of  the  nations."  Let  it  not,  however,  be  imagin- 
ed, that  we  are  merely  to  imitate  the  Old  Testament 
saints,  and  to  rise  no  higher  in  our  contributions  than 
what  was  requisite  under  that  economy.  For  Christians 
are  called  to  a  much  more  arduous  and  extensive  work 
than  the  nation  of  Israel.  The  field  of  Divine  labor 
in  which  Christians  are  called  to  be  employed,  "  is  the 
World  ;"  and  the  tenth  part  of  this  field  has  not  yet 
been  subdued  or  cultivated.  And  the  call  addressed  to 
the  church  by  Him  who  hath  all  power  and  authority 
in  heaven  and  on  earth,  is, "  Preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature."  In  proportion,  then,  to  the  superior  gran- 
deur and  magnificence  of  the  enterprise  should  be  the 
munificence  of  the  contributions  by  which  it  is  to  be 
accomplished.     In  this  enterprise,  Christian  females  as 


190  PRINCIPLES    BY    WHICH 

well  as  males  ought  to  be  actively  engaged  ;  and  a  no- 
ble example  is  set  them  by  the  female  Israelites  who 
took  an  active  part  in  preparing  materials  for  the  taber- 
nacle in  the  wilderness.  "  All  the  women  that  were 
wise-hearted,  did  spin  w^ith  their  hands,  and  brought 
that  which  they  had  spun  of  blue  and  of  purple  and  of 
scarlet  and  of  fine  hnen.  They  came  both  men  and 
icomen  as  m^ny  as  were  willing-hearted  and  brought 
bracelets  and  ear-rings  and  tablets,  all  jewels  of  gold, 
and  offered  them  to  the  Lord."  In  this  work  of  faith 
and  labor  of  love,  every  human  being,  male  and  fe- 
male, young  and  old,  ought  to  take  a  part,  till  the  fab- 
ric of  the  Christian  church  be  completely  reared,  and 
estabhshed  in  every  region  of  the  globe. 

3.  The  proportion  of  wealth  which  Christians  should 
appropriate  for  the  service  of  God,  and  the  renovation 
of  the  world,  may  he  deduced  from  the  predictions  of 
the  ancient  pirophets. 

In  those  prophecies  which  have  a  respect  to  the  fu- 
ture glory  of  Messiah's  reign,  there  are  frequent  refer- 
ences to  the  treasures  which  will  be  brought  forward 
to  promote  the  prosperity  of  his  kingdom.  In  the 
seventy-second  Psalm,  which  contains  predictions  re- 
specting the  prosperity  and  universal  extension  of  the 
kingdom  of  the  Redeemer,  we  are  told,  that  "  the  kings 
of  Tarshish  and  of  the  Isles  shall  bring  presents ;  the 
kings  of  Sheba  and  Seba  shall  offer  gifts,"  and  that 
"the  gold  of  Sheba"  shall  be  brought  as  an  offering  to 
his  service — evidently  implying  that  the  converts  from 
among  the  Gentiles  would  consecrate  a  portion  of  their 
wealth  for  the  promotion  of  his  kingdom,  and  that  the 
treasures,  thus  devoted,  would  be  large  and  munificent 
in  proportion  to  the  rank  and  riches  of  the  donors.  In 
the  sixtieth  chapter  of  Isaiah,  this  subject  is  introduced, 
and  exhibited  in  every  variety  of  aspect.  That  por- 
tion of  prophecy  has  for  its  object  to  delineate  the  pros- 
perity of  the  gospel  church  in  the  latter  days,  its  uni- 
versal extension,  the  joy  of  its  members,  and  the  rich 
and  diversified  gifts  which  would  be  voluntarily  brought 


CHRISTIANS    SHOULD    BE    DIRECTED,    &C.  191 

forth  and  devoted  to  its  interests.  "  The  abundance 
of  the  sea,"  or  the  wealth  conveyed  in  ships,  "  shall  be 
converted  unto  thee,  the  forces,"  or,  as  it  should  be  ren- 
dered, "  the  wealth  of  the  Gentiles  shall  come  unto 
thee ;  the  multitudes  of  camels  shall  cover  thee,  the 
dromedaries  of  Midian  and  Ephah ;  all  they  from  She- 
ba  shall  come  ;  they  shall  bring  gold  and  incense,  and 
shall  show  forth  the  praises  of  the  Lord."  Camels 
and  dromedaries  constitute  the  principal  riches  of  a 
portion  of  Arabia,  where  the  descendants  of  Midian 
and  Ephah  resided  ;  and  the  country  of  Sheba  was 
distinguished  for  its  gold.  Hence  we  are  told  by  the 
prophet  Ezekiel,  "the  merchants  of  Sheba  traded  at 
the  fairs  of  Tyre  in  spices,  in  gold,  and  in  all  precious 
stones."*  "  The  flocks  of  Kedar  shall  be  gathered  to- 
gether unto  thee ;  the  rams  of  Nebiaoth  shall  minister 
unto  thee  ;  they  shall  come  up  with  acceptance  upon 
mine  altar  and  I  will  glorify  the  house  of  my  glory." 
As  the  chief  wealth  of  the  Arabians  consisted  in  their 
camels  and  dromedaries,  so  the  wealth  of  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Kedar  consisted  chiefly  in  their  flocks  in  which 
they  traded  with  the  merchants  of  Tyre  as  stated  by 
the  prophet,  '•  The  Arabians  and  all  the  princes  of  Ke- 
dar traded  with  thee  in  rams  and  lambs  and  goats."t 

These  descriptions  plainly  intimate,  that  in  whatever 
commodities  the  riches  of  any  people  consist,  the  con- 
verts of  Zion  will  bring  a  large  portion  of  these  treas- 
ures, as  an  expression  of  their  gratitude,  to  promote  the 
honor  of  God,  and  the  extension  of  his  kingdom ; 
and,  that  they  will  consider  it  as  a  matter  of  course, 
•when  they  make  a  profession  of  their  faith  in  the  Re- 
deemer and  enter  the  gospel  church,  that  they  will 
bring  along  with  them  their  worldly  substance  to  be 
devoted  to  his  service.  This  is  likewise  stated  in  the 
following  passage,  "  Surely  the  isles  shall  wait  for  me, 
and  the  ships  of  Tarshish  first,  to  bring  thy  sons  from 
far,  their  silver  and  their  gold  ivith  them  unto  the  name 
of  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  to  the  holy  one  of  Israel,  be- 
cause he  hath  glorified  thee."  The  grand  motive 
which  will  animate  the  hearts  of  these  converts  is  here 

*  Ezek.  xxvii.  22.  t  Ibid.  ver.  21. 


192  PRINCIPLES    BY   WHICH 

expressed — "  Because  he  hath  glorified  thee''  Their 
hearts  will  be  so  inflamed  and  expanded  with  a  sense  of 
the  grace  and  condescension  of  the  Redeemer,  with 
the  importance  of  the  great  salvation,  and  with  the 
high  dignity  to  which  they  are  exalted  as  "  the  sons  of 
God,"  that  they  will  consider  the  consecration  of  their 
earthly  treasures,  as  nothing  more  than  a  small  expres- 
sion of  their  gratitude,  "to  him  who  loved  them  and 
washed  them  from  their  sins  in  his  own  blood,  and  who 
hath  made  them  kings  and  priests  to  God  and  his  Fa- 
ther." It  is  farther  stated  as  a  display  of  the  munifi- 
cence of  Zion's  converts  at  that  period,  and  of  the  eter- 
nal and  spiritual  grandeur  of  the  church : — "  The  glory 
of  Lebanon  shall  come  unto  thee,  the  fir  tree,  the  pine 
tree  and  the  box  together,  to  beautify  the  place  of  my 
sanctuary,  and  I  will  make  the  place  of  my  feet  glori- 
ous." This  description  may  denote,  that  the  temples 
reared  for  the  worship  of  Jehovah,  and  every  thing 
connected  with  his  service  will  be  beautified  with 
every  chaste  ornament  befitting  the  sanctity  of  his 
ordinances,  and  the  enlightened  views  and  improved 
condition  of  the  citizens  of  Zion.  And  it  may  like- 
wise intimate,  that  persons  endowed  with  splendid  ac- 
comphshments,  extensive  knowledge,  persuasive  elo- 
quence, and  with  heavenly  dispositions,  will  be  raised 
up  to  adorn  the  church  of  God,  and  to  display  the 
beauties  of  holiness,  as  the  timber  of  the  difterent 
kinds  of  trees  here  mentioned,  adorned  the  sanctuary 
and  the  most  holy  place  in  the  temple  of  Solomon.  In 
both  these  respects,  the  riches  of  Zion's  citizens  will  be 
required,  and  it  will  be  abundantly  supplied. 

The  above  stated  predictions,  and  several  others 
which  might  have  been  quoted,  evidently  show%  that, 
in  New  Testament  times,  when  God  is  about  "  to  ap- 
pear in  his  glory  to  men,"  and  "  to  repair  the  desola- 
tions of  Zion,"  immense  treasures  of  all  descriptions 
will  be  voluntarily  contributed  by  her  converts  to  pro- 
mote her  prosperity  and  to  accompHsh  the  purposes  of 
Divine  benevolence.  All  that  has  hitherto  been  given 
for  the  support  of  the  true  church  of  Christ,  will  bear 
no  proportion  to  the  vast  treasures  which  will  then  be 


CHRISTIANS    SHOULD    BE    DIRECTED,    &C.  193 

appropriated  for  promoting  her  extension  and  glory ; 
for  they  will  then  be  increased  at  least  a  hundred  fold. 
Hence  it  is  declared  in  a  subsequent  passage  of  this 
prophecy  ;  "  For  brass  I  will  bring  gold,  and  for  iron 
1  will  bring  silver,  and  for  wood  brass,  and  for  stones 
iron."  It  is  added,  "  I  will  also  make  thy  officers  peace, 
and  thine  exactors  righteousness."  The  superintend- 
ents or  overseers  of  the  church  will  be  "  men  fearing 
God  and  hating  covetousness,"  and  "  not  given  to  filthy 
lucre,"  so  that  the  wealth  consecrated  to  its  use  will  be 
properly  distributed,  and  faithfully  applied  to  the  ends 
for  which  it  is  appropriated.  In  this  respect,  they  will 
form  a  striking  contrast  to  many  office  bearers  that 
have  appeared  in  the  church  at  different  periods,  who 
are  characterised  by  the  prophet,  as  "  greedy  dogs  that 
can  never  have  enough,  and  shepherds  that  cannot  un- 
derstand, who  look  to  their  own  way,  every  one  for  his 
gain  from  his  quarter."  And  whether  this  character 
may  not  apply  to  many  in  our  day,  demands  the  seri- 
ous condemnation  of  some  of  those  who  have  been  in- 
vested with  the  sacred  office.* 

Now,  if  it  is  clearly  predicted,  that  in  the  latter  ages 
of  the  church  a  vast  proportion  of  wealth  will  be  devo- 
ted to  the  interests  of  religion,  it  becomes  us  seriously 
to  consider,  whether  we  ought  not,  at  this  moment  to 
realize  the  accomplishment  of  such  predictions,  by  com- 
ing forward,  with  enlarged  hearts  and  munificent  offer- 
ings, to  accomplish  the  gracious  designs  of  the  Most 
High.  What  a  high  honor  would  it  be,  far  surpassing 
every  earthly  distinction,  to  be  considered  as  the  special 


*  Dr.  Mosheim  states,  with  regard  to  the  conduct  of  the  bishops  and 
presbyters  of  the  third  century,  that  "though  several  yet  continued  to 
exhibit  to  the  world  illustrious  examples  of  primitive  piety  and  Christ- 
ian virtue,  yet  many  were  sunk  in  luxury  and  voluptuousness,  puffed 
up  with  vanity,  arrogance,  and  ambition,  possessed  with  a  spirit  of  con- 
tention and  discord,  and  addicted  to  many  other  vices,  that  cast  an  un- 
deserved reproach  upon  the  holy  religion  ofwhich  they  were  the  unwor- 
thy professors  and  ministers."  The  same  author,  in  his  history  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  states,  "  that  the  greatest  part  of  the  bishops  and 
canons  passed  their  days  in  dissolute  mirth  and  luxury,  and  squandered 
away  in  the  gratification  of  their  lusts  and  passions,  that  wealth  which 
had  been  set  apart  for  charitable  and  religious  purposes." 
17 


194  PRINCIPLES    BY    WHICH 

objects  to  which  ancient  prophecy  refers,  and  that  the 
Omniscient  Jehovah  should  have  us  in  his  eye  when  he 
communicated  his  will,  in  the  days  of  old,  to  the  inspi- 
red prophets  ?  What  a  dignified  privilege  is  it  that  the 
great  God  who  has  all  the  treasures  of  the  universe  at 
his  command,  should  condescend  to  make  us  "  workers 
together  with  him  *'  in  accomplishing  his  merciful  and 
beneficent  designs,  and  to  accept  of  the  wealth  we 
possess,  as  the  means  by  which  his  eternal  purposes 
are  to  be  brought  into  effect !  Can  any  other  applica- 
tion of  our  riches  procure  us  higher  honor  or  felicity, 
either  in  time  or  through  eternity  ?  And  it  is  only  our 
superfluous  wealth  which  he  demands,  while  he  leaves 
us  every  thing  requisite  to  all  the  sensitive  enjoyments 
which  a  rational  and  immortal  soul  ought  to  desire.  If 
we  had  right  views  of  the  true  use  of  riches,  and  of  the 
noble  ends  that  may,  and  ought  to  be  accomplished  by 
them,  we  should  esteem  it  our  highest  privilege  and 
delight  to  consecrate  all  we  possess  to  the  glory  of  God, 
and  the  promotion  of  the  best  interests  of  mankind. 
We  should  feel  a  pleasure,  not  to  be  compared  with 
selfish  gratification,  in  beholding  the  Divine  plans  grad- 
ually accomplishing,in  witnessing  the  diminution  of  mor- 
al evil,  and  wretchedness,  the  expansion  of  the  human 
mind  by  the  propagation  of  Divine  knowledge,  and 
happiness  diffusing  itself  among  all  ranks,  and  in  every 
region  of  the  globe.  Let  Christians,  then,  seriously 
consider  these  things,  and  arouse  themselves  from  that 
apathy  and  indifl[erence  into  which  they  have  been  so 
long  sunk,  Avith  respect  to  the  legitimate  application  of 
their  worldly  treasures.  Let  them  consider  whether 
the  transitory  pomp  of  this  world,  and  "  the  honor 
which  cometh  from  men,"  ought  to  be  set  in  compe- 
tition with  the  prosperity  of  Zion,  and  "the  honor 
which  cometh  from  God  alone."  Let  them  consider 
whether  "  the  lust  of  the  eye  and  the  pride  of  life," 
costly  furniture  and  splendid  equipages,  ought  to  be 
preferred  to  "  beautifying  Jehovah's  sanctuary,  and 
making  the  place  of  his  feet  glorious  ;"  in  short,  wheth- 
er selfish  gratifications,  and  "  things  seen  and  tempo- 
ral," ought  to  be  exalted  above  an  incorruptible  inheri- 


CHRISTIANS    SHOULD    BE    DIRECTED,    &C.  195 

tance,  and  those  "  things  which  are  unseen  and  eter- 
nal." 

Let  us  consider,  for  a  moment,  the  gross  amount  of 
what  might  be,  and  what  ought  to  be  raised,  in  Great 
Britam  alone,  for  the  purposes  of  rehgion  and  philan- 
thropy. I  have  already  stated,  on  the  ground  of  a  very 
low  estimate,  (p.  183)  that  more  than  twenty  mil- 
lions of  pounds  might  be  raised  by  devoting  one  tenth 
of  income  to  such  objects.  But  as  there  are  multitudes 
of  individuals,  who  ought  to  devote  the  one-half  of  their 
incomes,  when  large,  to  the  service  of  God — on  the 
principles  now  recognised  and  adverted  to  in  the  lan- 
guage of  ancient  prophecy ;  we  ought  not  to  expect 
less  than  a  hundred  millions  of  pounds  annually,  were 
Wealthy  Christians  to  consider  themselves  as  stew- 
ards for  God,  and  to  act  in  a  manner  worthy  of 
the  Christian  name.  It  is  a  disgrace  to  that  sacred 
name  that  so  little  has  hitherto  been  raised  for  the 
great  objects  to  which  money  should  chiefly  be  devo- 
ted. ^hdiW  fifty  millions  of  pounds  be  annually  wasted, 
within  the  hmits  of  the  British  isles  in  the  purchase  of 
intoxicating  liquors  ?  Shall  hundreds  of  millions  be 
raised  for  carrying  forward  the  purposes  of  ambition 
and  warfare  ?  and  shall  only  B.few  droppings  of  over- 
flow^ing  wealth,  the  mere  lees  or  scum  of  abundant 
riches,  be  devoted  to  the  noblest  and  most  important 
objects  that  can  engage  the  attention  of  man  ?  For- 
bid it  heaven  !  That  such  has  hitherto  been  the  case, 
that  such  is  the  case  at  the  present  moment,  is  perhaps 
one  of  the  most  glaring  inconsistencies,  and  one  of  the 
foulest  blots  that  disfigures  the  Christian  character,  ?uid 
the  Christian  church. 

It  is  now  time  that  such  inconsistencies  and  such 
stains  were  wiped  away  from  the  face  of  the  religious 
world,  and  that  the  followers  of  Jesus  begin  to  act  in 
consistency  Avith  their  high  character  and  their  heav- 
enly calling.  If  we  refuse  to  come  forward  with  our 
treasures  at  the  call  of  God,  he  may  be  provoked  to 
realize,  in  our  experience,  that  denunciation  recorded  in 
the  chapter  to  which  we  have  adverted.  "  The  nation 
and  kingdom  that  will  not  serve  thee,  (namely,  the 


196  PRINCIPLES    BY    WHICH 

church,)  shall  perish,  yea,  those  nations  shall  be  utterly 
wasted."  This  denunciation  immediately  follows  upon 
this  declaration,  "  Thy  gates  shall  be  open  continually, 
that  men  may  bring  unto  thee  the  wealth  of  the  Gentiles, 
and  that  their  kings  may  be  brought."  If  we  hesitate 
long  in  coming  to  a  decision  on  this  point,  God  may 
soon  confer  the  honor  of  accomplishing  his  designs, 
upon  other  tribes  and  nations  whom  we  now  despise. 
Many  of  the  Christians  in  the  Northern  States  of 
America,  are  now  beginning  to  exert  themselves  with 
a  noble  generosity  in  the  cause  of  Christian  improve- 
ment. Even  the  inhabitants  of  the  Society  Isles — so 
lately  immersed  in  all  the  ignorance,  superstition,  and 
vices,  peculiar  to  the  savage  state,  are  contributing  of 
their  oil  and  other  productions  of  their  country,  instead  of 
money,  for  canying  forward  missionary  enterprises 
among  other  unenlightened  tribes  ;  and  they  are  per- 
haps at  this  moment  contributing  more  in  this  way,  in 
proportion  to  their  numbers  and  their  wealth,  than  the 
inhabitants  of  Britain.  The  natives  of  the  Navigator's 
islands,  lately  deemed  so  ferocious  that  mariners  were 
afraid  to  land  upon  their  coasts,  are  now  lifting  up  their 
voices  from  afar,  and  imploring  missionaries  to  instruct 
them  in  the  knowledge  of  salvation,  and  offering  what- 
ever they  can  afford  of  their  substance  for  this  purpose. 
And,  ere  lon^,  these  and  other  inhabitants  of  the  Isles 
of  the  Pacific,  may  bring  their  most  valuable  treasures 
"  to  beautify  the  sanctuary  of  God,"  and  to  promote 
the  extension  of  his  kingdom.  For,  such  persons,  and 
such  localities  come  within  the  range  of  prophetical 
description :  "  Surely  the  isles  shall  wait  for  me — the 
isles  afar  off  that  have  not  heard  my  fame,  neither 
have  seen  my  glory,  and  they  shall  declare  my  glory 
among  the  Gentiles."  "Sing  unto  the  Lord  a  new 
song,  and  his  praise  from  the  ends  of  the  earth,  ye  that 
go  down  to  the  sea,  the  isles,  and  the  inhabitants  there- 
of; let  the  inhabitants  of  the  rock  sing  ;  let  them  give 
glory  to  the  Lord  and  declare  his  praise  in  the  islands.'* 
Let  British  Christians,  then,  rouse  themselves  from 
their  lethargy,  and  shake  themselves  loose  from  every 
covetous  affection ;  let  them  come  forth  with  cheerful- 


CHRISTIANS    SHOULD    BE    DIRECTED,    &C.  187 

ness  and  alacrity,  with  their  treasures  in  their  hands,  to 
be  consecrated  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  renovation 
of  the  world  ;  let  them  trample  under  foot  with  a  no- 
ble heroism  every  selfish  maxim,  and  the  fashion  of  this 
world  that  passeth  away,  and  account  it  their  highest 
felicity  and  honor  to  be  instrumental  in  furthering  the 
plans  of  Divine  mercy  and  beneficence ;  and  great 
shall  be  their  reward.  For  they  who  are  the  instru- 
ments of  turning  many  to  righteousness,  "  shall  shine 
as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament,  and  as  the  stars  for- 
er  and  ever." 


17* 


CHAPTER  VI 


ON  THE  BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD^ 
WERE  COVETOUSNESS  UNDERMINED,  AND  AN  OPPOSITE 
PRINCIPLE   PREVAILING  IN  CHRISTIAN  SOCIETY. 

Were  the  covetous  principle  completely  undermi- 
ned, and,  consequently,  were  wealth  applied  to  its  legit- 
imate objects,  according  to  the  intention  of  the  Crea- 
tor,— eveiy  thing  requisite  to  promote  the  physical 
comfort,  and  the  moral,  and  intellectual  enjoyment  of 
man  in  this  world,  and  his  preparation  for  a  future 
state  of  happiness,  might,  at  no  distant  period,  be  spee- 
dily eifected.  Even  the  physical  aspect  of  the  globe, 
might  be  renovated,  and  its  barren  deserts  transform- 
ed into  a  scene  of  fertility  and  beauty,  so  that  "  the 
wilderness  and  the  solitary  place,"  might  be  made  "  to 
rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose."  Although  the  inordi- 
dinate  love  of  money  is  "  the  root  of  all  evil"  yet  the 
proper  distribution  of  it,  on  the  foundation  of  Christian 
principles,  may  be  pronounced  to  be  the  source  of  all 
good. 

We  have  already  shown,  that  the  almost  universal 
prevalence  of  covetousness,  has  been  the  cause  of  most 
of  the  wars  and  devastations  which  have  convulsed  the 
world,  and  the  source  of  most  of  the  evils  and  suffer- 
ings under  which  the  human  race  have  groaned  in  ev- 
ery age.  And  it  might  likewise  be  demonstrated,  that 
the  proper  application  of  wealth  would  go  far  to  un- 
dermine, and  ultimately  to  destroy  all  such  evils,  and 
to  diffuse  among  all  ranks,  a  degree  of  happiness  and 
comfort,  which  has  never  yet  been  enjoyed  in  any  pe- 
riod, since  man  first  \iolated  the  law  of  his  Creator. 


200     BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD, 

It  is  scarcely  conceivable,  at  first  view,  what  innumer- 
able benefits  of  every  description,  might  be  conferred 
on  our  fellow  men,  and  on  the  w^orld  at  large,  by  an 
application,  on  liberal  and  Christian  principles,  of  the 
riches  which  we  at  this  moment  possess.  And,  we 
may  rest  assured,  that  while  we  refuse  to  apply  our 
treasures  to  the  objects  to  which  I  allude,  we  do  every 
thing  in  our  power  to  frustrate  the  designs  of  our  Crea- 
tor in  bestowing  upon  us  such  treasures,  and  to  coun- 
teract the  benevolent  operations  of  his  moral  govern- 
ment. 

A  work  of  immense  magnitude,  however,  requires  to 
be  accomplished,  and  vast  exertions  are  indispensably 
requisite,  before  physical  and  moral  evil  can  be  under- 
mined, and  the  w^ay  prepared  for  the  universal  im- 
provement of  mankind,  and  the  spiritual  regeneration 
of  the  world.  But  man  has  moral  and  intellectual 
powers  and  treasures  of  wealth,  fully  adequate  to  the 
enterprise,  arduous  and  extensive  as  it  is ;  and,  under 
the  agency  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  who  is  promised  to 
work  in  us  both  "to  will  and  to  perform  the  good  pleas- 
ure of  God,"  he  is  able  to  accomplish  every  thing  to 
w^hich  we  allude,  provided  he  is  willing  to  consecrate 
his  energies  and  his  treasures  to  this  work  of  faith  and 
labor  of  love. 

But,  let  us  now  attend  more  particularly  to  some  de- 
partments of  the  loork  to  be  accomplished,  and  to  the 
means  to  bring  it  into  effect. 

1.  Were  covetousness  undermined,  and  an  opposite 
principle  acted  upon,  abundant  provision  would  be  made 
for  the  external  comfort  of  the  poor  and  destitute. 

The  God  of  nature  has  displayed  his  exuberant 
goodness  towards  our  world  in  every  age,  in  "  giving 
rain  from  heaven,  and  fruitful  seasons,"  and  in  supply- 
ing the  inhabitants  of  every  clime  with  what  is  requi- 
site for  their  subsistence  and  comfort,  though  the  earth 
has  yielded  the  harvests  of  six  thousand  years,  it  has 
never  yet  lost  its  fertility,  but  pours  forth  its  fruits,  ev- 
ery autumn,  in  rich  abundance ;  and  could  afford  sus- 


WERE    COVETOUSNESS    UNDERMINED.  201 

tenance  for  hundreds  of  millions  more  than  have  ever 
at  any  one  time,  traversed  its  surface,  since  the  days  of 
Noah.  Yet  we  find  thousands  and  ten  thousands 
pining  in  poverty  and  want ;  not  only  in  bleak  and  bar- 
ren deserts,  but  in  the  most  fertile  countries,  and  in 
the  midst  of  plenty  and  splendor  ;  and,  in  some  instan- 
ces, absolutely  perishing  for  lack  of  the  necessaries  of 
life,  while  pride  and  opulence  are  rioting  within  their 
view  in  luxurious  abundance. 

At  this  very  moment,  in  Ireland,  and  especially  in  the 
county  of  Limerick,  the  poor  are  literally  dying  of 
want,  by  hundreds.  "  The  present  state*  of  the  poor 
in  Ireland,"  says  a  member  of  Parliament,  "  is  terrible 
not  only  to  behold,  but  even  to  contemplate.  In  this 
neglected  country,  the  poor  are  thrown  on  the  indus- 
trious classes  for  relief  in  their  wretchedness,  as  the 
rich  not  only  guard  their  mansions  by  high  walls,  and 
surly  porters,  but  actually  drive  the  poor  creatures 
away  with  dogs.  In  America,  clearing  the  estates, 
means  cutting  down  the  timber,  but  here  it  means,  cut- 
ting down  human  life.  The  poor,  when  driven  from 
their  homes,  have  no  asylum  to  fly  to,  but  to  leave  their 
country,  or  lie  down  and  die," 

Mr.  Ingles,  in  his  "  Journey  throughout  Ireland,  m 
1834,"  gives  the  following  description  of  the  wretched- 
ness he  witnessed,  in  the  same  district,  to  which  we 
now  allude. 

"  Some  of  the  abodes  I  visited,  were  garrets,  some 
were  cellars,  some  were  hovels  on  the  ground  floor, 
situated  in  narrow  yards  or  alleys.  I  will  not  speak 
of  the  filth  of  the  places ;  that  could  not  be  exceeded 
in  places  meant  to  be  its  receptacles.  Let  the  worst 
be  imagined,  and  it  will  not  be  beyond  the  truth.  In 
at  least,  three  fourths  of  the  hovels  which  I  entered, 
there  was  no  furniture  of  any  description,  save  an  iron 
pot,  no  table,  no  chair,  no  bench,  no  bed-stead — two, 
three,  or  four,  little  bundles  of  straw  with  perhaps,  one 
or  two  scanty,  or  ragged  mats  were  rolled  up  in  the 
corners,  unless  when  these  beds  were  found  occupied. 

*  November,  1835. 


202     BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD   FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD, 

The  inmates,  were,  some  of  them  old,  crooked,  and 
diseased,  some  younger,  but  emaciated,  and  surround- 
ed by  starving  children,  some  were  sitting  on  the  damp 
ground,  some  standing,  and  some  were  unable  to  rise 
from  their  little  straw  heaps.  In  scarcely  one  hovel, 
could  I  find  even  a  potatoe.  In  one  which  I  entered, 
I  noticed  a  small  opening  leading  into  an  inner  room. 
I  lighted  a  piece  of  paper  at  the  embers  of  a  turf  which 
lay  in  the  chimney,  and  looked  in.  It  was  a  cellar 
wholly  dark,  and  about  twelve  feet  square,  two  bun- 
dles of  straw  lay  in  two  corners  ;  on  one  sat  a  bed-rid- 
den woman  ;  on  another  lay  two  naked  children — lit- 
erally naked,  with  a  torn  rag  of  some  kind  thrown  over 
them  both.  But  I  saw  worse  than  even  this.  In  a 
cellar  which  I  entered,  and  which  was  almost  quite 
dark,  and  slippery  with  damp,  I  found  a  man  sitting 
on  a  little  saw  dust.  He  was  naked  ;  he  had  not  even 
a  shirt ;  a  filthy  and  ragged  mat  was  around  him.  This 
man  was  a  living  skeleton  ;  the  bones  all  but  protrud- 
ed through  the  skin ;  he  was  literally  starving. 

In  place  of  visiting  forty  hovels  of  this  description, 
I  might  have  visited  hundreds.  In  place  of  seeing,  as 
I  did,  hundreds  of  men,  women  and  children,  in  the  last 
stage  of  destitution,  I  might  have  seen  thousands.  I 
entered  the  alleys  and  visited  the  hovels,  and  climbed 
the  stairs  at  a  venture ;  and  I  have  no  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  the  forty  which  I  visited,  were  the  abodes  of 
greater  wretchedness  than  the  hundreds  which  I  pass- 
ed by.  I  saw  also  another  kind  of  destitution.  The 
individuals  I  have  yet  spoken  of  were  aged,  infirm  or 
diseased ;  but  there  was  another  class  fast  approach- 
ing infirmity  and  disease,  but  yet  able  and  willing  to 
earn  their  subsistence.  I  found  many  hand-loom  wea- 
vers, who  worked  from  five  in  the  morning  till  eight  at 
night,  and  received  from  a  task-master,  from  half  a 
crown  to  four  shillings  a  week.  Many  of  these  men 
had  wives  and  families ;  and  I  need  scarcely  say,  that 
confinement,  labor,  scanty  subsistence,  and  despair, 
w^ere  fast  reducing  these  men  to  the  condition  of  the 
others,  upon  whom  disease  and  utter  destitution  had 
already  laid  their  hands.     The  subsistence  of  these 


WERE  COVETOUSNESS  UNDERMINED.      203 

men  consisted  of  one  scanty  meal  of  dry  potatoes  dai- 
ly." "  To  keep  the  bodies  and  souls  of  these  misera- 
ble creatures  together,  many  a  humane  citizen  contrib- 
utes more  than  the  noble  owner  of  all  the  property." 

Yet  all  this  happens  in  a  Christian  land !  where 
thousands  are  wallowing  amidst  overflowing  w  ealth  ! 

In  the  city  of  Naples,  there  are  above  30,000  per- 
sons, distinguished  by  the  appellation  Lazzaroni,  the 
greater  part  of  whom,  have  no  other  home  than  the 
earth  for  a  floor,  and  the  sky  for  a  ceiling,  who  sleep 
every  night  under  porticos,  piazzas,  or  any  other  kind 
of  shelter  they  can  find.  Although  they  are  the  object 
of  detestation  to  travellers,  yet  they  are  in  fact  mere- 
ly the  poorer  class  of  laborers,  who,  attached  to  no  par- 
ticular trade,  are  yet  wnllins^  to  w^ork,  and  to  take  any 
job  that  is  offered.  If  they  are  idle,  it  is  not  their  own 
fault ;  since  they  are  continually  running  about  the 
streets  begging  for  employment.  If  they  are  ignorant 
and  debased,  and  frequently  addicted  to  pilfering,  it  is 
more  their  misfortune  than  their  crime ;  for  no  provis- 
ion has  been  made  for  their  instruction,  nor  arrange- 
ments for  supplying  them  with  the  w^ork  they  are  wil- 
ling to  perform  ;  although  they  are  surrounded  with 
12,000  ecclesiastics  living  in  opulence  and  splendor, 
and  with  numerous  nobility  rioting  in  extravagance 
upon  princely  fortunes.  Those  of  them  who  have 
wives  and  families  live  in  the  suburbs  of  Naples,  near 
Pensilippo,  in  huts,  or  in  caverns  or  chambers  dug  out  of 
that  mountain. 

These  people,  however,  WTCtched  as  they  are,  have 
had  a  certain  degn^e  of  moral  influence.  In  opposition 
to  the  measures  of  the  court,  they  prevented  the  es- 
tabhshment  of  the  inquisition  ;  and  such  was  their  dis- 
interested patriotism,  that  they  generously  offered  their 
services  to  save  their  sinking  country  from  the  French 
invasion,  while  the  nobles  had  meanly  abandoned  the 
breach  and  forsaken  their  sovereign;  and,  it  was  mere- 
ly owing  to  the  want  of  leaders,  that  they  reluctantly 
submitted  to  inaction.  To  what  causes,  then,  but  to 
criminal  apathy  and  avarice,  are  to  be  imputed  the  des- 
titute and  miserable  state  of  these  Lazzaroni, — since 


204     BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD, 

the  surrounding  country  is  fertile  and  delightful ;  since 
wealth  is  flowing  in  streams  around  them,  and  the  glit- 
ter of  pomp  and  equipage,  is  continually  before  their 
eyes.* 

Even  in  the  British  metropolis,  and  other  cities  of 
the  empire,  scenes  not  altogether  dissimilar  to  the 
above,  are  frequently  to  be  found.  According  to  the 
satements  of  Dr.  Colquhoun,  there  are  in  London,  up- 
wards of  20,000  persons,  who  rise  every  morning  with- 
out employment,  and  rely  for  maintenance  on  the  ac- 
cidents of  the  day. 

Were  we  to  inspect  all  the  narrow  lanes,  the  cellars, 
garrets,  and  hovels,  connected  with  Liverpool,  Man- 
chester, Bristol,  Newcastle,  Dublin,  Cork,  Edinburgh, 
Glasgow,  Dundee,  and  other  British  towns  and  cities, 
w^e  should  find  the  most  appalling  scenes  of  destitution 
and  wretchedness,  of  which  three  fourths  of  our  popu- 
lation, and  especially  the  higher  ranks,  can  form  no 
conception.  Indeed,  wherever  we  turn  our  eyes, 
whether  in  the  country,  the  village,  or  the  crowded 
city,  we  never  fail  to  behold  multitudes  of  the  blind,  the 
lame,  the  diseased,  and  even  the  healthy,  in  a  state  of 
penury  and  destitution — many  of  them  only  half-cov- 
ered with  rags,  and  exposed,  houseless  and  forlorn,  to 
the  nipping  frosts,  and  lo  all  the  inclemencies  of  the 
season.  Many  of  these  wretched  creatures  are  im- 
moral and  depraved ;  but  the  cause  of  this  is  not  so 
much  to  be  attributed  to  the  individuals  themselves,  as 
to  the  arrangements  of  general  society.  Society  has 
never  yet  provided  for  such,  the  means  of  education,  of 
moral  training,  of  employment,  or  what  is  necessary 
for  their  comfortable  subsistence  ;  and  general  society 
is,  therefore,  accountable  in  part,  both  for  the  misery 
they  suffer,  and  the  crimes  they  occasionally  commit. 

An  American  writer,  who  very  lately  visited  Italy, 
and  other  countries  in  Europe,  makes  the  following 
statements  in  reference  to  the  city  of  Naples.  "  I  have 
been  struck  repeatedly  with  the  little  value  attached 


*  It  is  a  proverbial  saying  among  the  other  Italians,  that  "  Naples 
is  a  paradise  inhabited  by  devils." 


WERE  COVETOUSNESS  UNDERMINED.       205 

to  human  life  in  Italy.  I  have  seen  several  of  these 
houseless  Lazzaroni  literally  dying  in  the  streets,  and 
no  one  curious  enough  to  look  at  them.  The  most 
dreadful  sufferings,  the  most  despairing  cries,  in  the 
open  squares,  are  passed  as  unnoticed  as  the  howling 
of  a  dog.  The  day  before  yesterday,  a  woman  fell,  in 
the  Toledo,  in  a  fit,  frothing  at  the  mouth,  and  livid 
with  pain ;  and  though  the  street  was  so  crowded  that 
one  could  make  his  way  with  difficulty,  three  or  four 
ragged  children  were  the  only  persons  seen  looking  at 
her/'* 

It  is  easy,  therefore,  to  perceive,  that  were  covetous- 
ness  undermined,  and  a  godlike  generosity  substituted 
in  its  place — no  such  miserable  and  revolting  scenes 
would  disgrace  our  world.  We  should  no  longer  be- 
hold the  houseless  and  benighted  wanderer  hung  with 
rags,  shivering  amidst  the  blasts  of  winter,  and  reposing 
under  a  hedge,  or  in  the  streets  under  the  open  cano- 
py of  heaven,  nor  the  blind  and  the  dumb,  the  halt  and 
the  maimed,  wandering  along  our  streets  and  highways 
friendless  and  forlorn,  and  destitute  of  the  comforts 
which  every  human  being  ought  to  enjoy.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  those  whom  God  has  blessed  with  abun- 
dance, would,  like  Job,  be  "  eyes  to  the  blind,  feet  to 
the  lame,  and  a  father  to  the  poor.  The  blessing  of 
them  who  are  ready  to  perish  would  come  upon  them, 
and  they  would  cause  the  widow's  heart  to  sing  with 

joy." . 

It  is  not,  however,  by  bestowing  money  directly  on 
the  poor,  except  in  certain  urgent  cases, — nor  even  by 
endowing  alms-houses,  or  asylums,  except  for  the 
blind,f  the  aged,  and   the  infirm,  who  are  unable  to 


*  "Pencillings  by  the  way."     By  N.  P.  Willis,  Esq.,  1835. 

t  Even  the  blind  may,  in  many  cases,  be  usefully  employed.  We 
have  had  several  celebrated  lecturers  and  teachers  of  science,  who  had 
been  either  blind  from  their  birth,  or  had  lost  their  sight  at  a  very  early 
period,  such  as  Professor  Saunderson,  Dr.  Moyes,  Mr.  Davidson,  Mr. 
Gough,  and  others,  who  were  the  means  of  communicating  popular  in- 
struction in  science,  to  many  thousands  in  different  countries.  Such 
persons,  among  the  lower  ranks,  have  been  usefully  employed  in  bask- 
et making,  weaving,  and  other  occupations;  and  in  such  exercises,  have 
felt  enjoyments  which  they  could  not  otherwise  have  experienced. 

18 


206     BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD, 

work ;  but  by  affording  employment,  and  a  proper  re- 
muneration for  labor,  to  all  who  enjoy  health  and  vigor 
of  body  and  mind.  For  every  human  being  ought  to 
be  actively  employed  in  something  which  contributes 
to  his  own  benefit,  and  the  good  of  others.  An  abso- 
lutely idle  person,  is  both  a  burden  to  himself,  and  a 
nuisance  in  society ;  and  he  never  can  feel  the  sweets 
of  true  enjoyment.  It  is  contrary  to  the  evident  design 
of  the  Creator,  in  bestowing  upon  us  both  physical  and 
moral  powers,  that  any  class  of  these  powers  should 
remain  dormant  or  unemployed.  And,  therefore,  the 
plan  of  cooping  up  hundreds  of  healthy  persons  in  hos- 
pitals and  poor  houses,  without  being  employed  in  reg- 
ular mental  and  bodi'y  exercises,  is  evidently  contrary 
to  nature,  and  consequently,  subversive  of  true  happi- 
ness. 

The  true  method  of  promoting  the  comfort  of  the 
poor,  is  to  furnish  them  with  the  means  of  instruction 
and  employment,  to  provide  them  with  comfortable 
habitations,  to  teach  them  the  rules  of  economy,  tem- 
perance, and  moral  order,  and  to  see  that  their  children 
be  properly  educated  in  the  different  branches  of  use- 
ful knowledge,  and  in  the  doctrines  and  duties  of  reli- 
gion. There  are  many  ways  by  which  such  objects 
might  be  accomplished,  either  by  opulent  individuals, 
or  by  society  at  large.  In  the  building  of  churches, 
schools,  lecture-rooms,  and  work-shops,  throughout  the 
country,  wherever  they  are  required :  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  waste  grounds,  the  draining  of  land,  the  forma- 
tion of  roads,  and  comfortable  foot  paths  throughout 
every  part  of  the  country ;  in  forming  public  walks 
around  villages  and  towns  ;  in  erecting  new  towns  and 
villages  on  spacious  and  improved  plans ;  in  erecting 
work-shops  and  manufactories  for  ail  kinds  of  clothing 
and  furniture  ;  in  distributing  gas-pipes  throughout  vil- 
lages, and  along  the  high  ways,  for  illuminating  the 
country,  and  cheering  the  traveller  under  the  cloud  of 
night ; — in  these,  and  many  other  operations,  all  the 
poor  who  now  infest  our  streets,  and  burden  our  pub- 
lic charities,  and  pass  a  miserable  and  useless  existence, 
might  be  comfortably  employed.     And,  while  misery 


WERE    COVETOUSNESS    UNDERMINED.  207 

would  thus  be  prevented,  and  happiness  diffused,  im^ 
provements  might  be  carried  on  to  an  indefinite  extent, 
the  physical  aspect  of  our  globe,  might  be  transformed 
into  a  scene  of  beauty  and  fertility,  and  "  the  desert 
made  to  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose." 

In  the  cases  now  alluded  to,  and  in  many  other  re- 
spects, much  requires  to  be  effected,  before  society  be 
thoroughly  improved,  and  before  the  scene  of  external 
nature  be  decorated  with  all  the  beauties  and  conve- 
niences of  which  it  is  susceptible.  But  such  improve- 
ments ought  not  to  be  engaged  in,  merely  from  the 
sordid  views  of  deriving  pecuniary  profits  ;  but  from 
a  desire  to  do  good  to  our  fellow-men  ;  to  remove  nui- 
sances both  from  the  physical  and  moral  world,  to  em- 
bellish the  city,  and  the  country,  and  to  promote  the 
general  advancement  of  society,  in  knowledge  and 
virtue. 

It  is  evident,  then,  that  were  such  views  of  the  ap- 
plication of  wealth  to  pervade  general  society,  or  were 
even  a  few  opulent  individuals  to  act  in  accordance 
with  them,  an  important  chanofe  would  soon  take  place 
in  the  aspect,  both  of  the  physical  and  the  moral  world. 
Those  scenes  of  squalid  misery  and  destitution,  which 
are  now  to  be  seen  in  eveiy  city,  town,  and  village ; 
those  pitiable  objects  that  swarm  in  our  markets  and 
fairs,  in  our  streets  and  high  ways  ;  and  those  wretch- 
ed cellars  and  hovels,  unfit  for  the  abodes  even  of  the 
lower  animals,  now  inhabited  by  human  beings,  would 
ere  long  disappear  from  the  world.  The  cries  of  mis- 
ery, and  the  voice  of  mourning  and  sorrow,  would  be 
changed  into  the  voice  of  cheerfulness,  and  into  songs 
of  thanksgiving  and  joy.  Every  returning  year,  new 
beauties,  conveniences,  and  improvements,  would  be 
seen  rising  to  view  in  every  corner  of  the  land,  and 
harmony,  and  moral  order  would  gradually  pervade  the 
various  ranks  of  society. 

And,  is  hoarding  up  wealth  in  bags  or  coffers,  or 
wasting  it  in  vain  show  and  extravagance,  to  be  set  in 
competition  with  such  scenes  of  beauty  and  general 
enjoyment  ?  Surely  every  philanthropic  heart,  and  ev- 
er}^ sincere  Christian  possessed  of  riches,  in  contribu- 


208     BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD, 

ting  to  such  objects,  would  feel  a  pleasure  in  beholding 
such  results,  far  surpassing  what  can  ever  be  experien- 
ced in  indulging  in  "  the  pride  of  life,"  and  in  chiming 
in  with  "  the  fashion  of  the  world  which  passeth  away." 
And,  we  have  already  proved,  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ter, that  it  is  in  the  power  of  thousands,  to  be  instru- 
mental in  bringing  about  "a  consummation,  so  devoutly 
to  be  wished ;"  and,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  that  with  the 
power,  the  will  will  not  be  wanting,  and  that,  ere 
long,  they  will  "  shake  themselves  from  the  dust,"  and 
arise  to  vigorous  exertion  in  the  cause  of  God,  and  in 
promoting  the  bests  interests  of  men. 

2.  The  subversion  of  covetousness  would  prepare 
the  way  for  remedying  many  physical  evils,  and  pro- 
moting improvements  for  the  convenience  and  comfort 
of  general  society. 

To  some  of  these  improvements,  I  have  alluded 
above  ;  but  it  may  not  be  inexpedient  to  enter  a  little 
more  particularly  into  the  consideration  of  this  topic. 

This  world,  when  it  was  first  arranged  by  the  hand 
of  the  Almighty,  was  completely  adapted  as  a  habita- 
tion for  a  creature  formed  after  his  image.  Its  ar- 
rangement was  the  result  of  Infinite  wisdom  and  good- 
ness ;  and,  therefore,  must  have  presented  to  view  ev- 
ery thing  that  was  harmonious,  beautiful  to  the  eye, 
and  adapted  to  the  sensitive  and  intellectual  enjoyment 
of  man.  Hence  we  are  told,  that,  upon  a  survey  of  all 
his  works,  in  this  lower  creation,  "God  saw  everything 
that  he  had  made,  and  behold,  it  was  veiy  good." 
This  beautiful  arrangement  of  the  face  of  nature,  in  all 
probability,  continued  during  the  greater  part  of  the 
period  which  intervened  between  the  creation  and  the 
deluge.  But,  when  the  flood  came,  "  the  fountains  of 
the  great  deep  were  broken  up," — the  interior  strata  of 
the  earth  were  disrupted,  mountains  and  rocks  were 
hurled  "  into  the  midst  of  the  sea,"  and  rolled  from  one 
continent  to  another ;  the  whole  solid  crust  of  the  globe 
appears  to  have  been  shattered,  and  thrown  into  con- 
fusion, and  its  surface  transformed  into  one  wide  and 


WERE    COVETOUSNESS    UNDERMINED.  209 

boundless  ocean.  After  the  waters  of  the  deluge  had 
abated,  the  earth  was  left  to  Noah  and  his  descendants, 
as  one  vast  and  frightful  ruin,  overspread  with  immense 
deserts  and  marshes,  and  rugged  mountains  disrobed 
of  their  verdure.  For,  we  have  reason  to  believe,  that 
the  greater  part  of  the  dry  land  which  existed  before 
the  Hood,  now  forms  the  bed  of  the  ocean.  This  ruin 
of  a  former  beautiful  world,  since  that  period,  has  been, 
in  many  of  its  parts,  brought  into  a  certain  state  of  cul- 
tivation, in  proportion  as  its  inhabitants  have  risen  from 
barbarism  to  civilization.  But  a  great  portion  of  the 
globe,  is  still  covered  with  immense  deserts,  and  almost 
interminable  forests,  fit  only  for  the  habitation  of  the 
beasts  of  prey ;  and  even  those  countries  which  have 
been  partially  cultivated  by  the  more  civilized  class  of 
human  beings,  are  far  short  of  that  improvement  of 
which  they  are  susceptible ;  or,  of  what  must  have 
been  their  appearance,  when  the  earth  was  fresh  from 
the  hands  of  its  Creator,  and  smiled  with  all  the  beau- 
ties of  Eden. 

The  sin  of  man  was  the  cause  of  the  original  struc- 
ture of  the  earth  being  deranged,  and  its  beauty  defa- 
ced ;  and,  in  proportion  as  man  advances  to  a  conform- 
ity to  the  Divine  image,  after  which  he  was  originally 
created, — will  his  habitation  approximate  to  the  beauty 
and  order  which  appeared  in  the  first  creation.  But, 
"  this  sore  travail  hath  God  given  to  the  sons  of  men  to 
be  exercised  therewith,"  that  they  must  now  exert  their 
own  genius  and  physical  energies,  in  beautifying  their 
habitations,  and  reducing  the  globe  to  an  approxima- 
tion to  its  original  state.  And,  in  proportion  as  Christ- 
ianity and  civilization  have  prevailed,  such  objects  have 
been  partially  accomplished.  But  the  greater  part  of 
the  world  still  remains  as  a  desolate  waste,  or  a  majes- 
tic ruin ;  and,  even  where  the  hand  of  civilization  has 
began  to  operate,  little  comparatively  has  been  effect- 
ed ;  for  the  fields  are  scarcely  half  cultivated,  and  there 
is  not  the  fifth  part  of  the  conveniences  and  comforts 
provided  for  the  great  mass  of  the  world's  inhabitants 
which  they  ought  to  enjoy.  It  is  possible  to  transform 
the  earth  into  a  terrestrial  paradise,  or  at  least  into 
18* 


210     BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD, 

something  approaching  it.  What  has  already  been 
done  is  an  earnest,  and  prelude  of  what  may  still  be 
achieved,  were  wealth  applied  in  accordance  with  the 
intention  of  God,  and  were  all  the  physical  and  intel- 
lectual energies  of  man  concentrated  upon  such  an 
object.  Let  us  look  at  New  England,  which,  only 
about  two  centuries  ago,  was  one  immense  forest, 
without  the  least  cuhivation,  inhabited  by  a  few  sava- 
ges. From  a  small  colony  of  only  a  hundred  individu- 
als, these  states  have  increased  to  two  millions  of  souls. 
Most  of  the  forests  have  been  cut  down,  the  fields  cul- 
tivated and  adorned,  and  hundreds  of  towns,  temples, 
seminaries,  and  splendid  public  buildings  now  diversify 
and  adorn  a  scene  of  activity  which  was  formerly  "  a 
vast  howling  wilderness,"  where  none  but  rude  Indians 
and  the  beasts  of  the  forests  roamed  for  their  prey. 
Even  in  our  own  country,  in  the  days  of  Julius  Caesar, 
the  inhabitants  were  rude  and  barbarous  ;  they  paint- 
ed their  bodies ;  they  were  clothed  in  the  skins  of 
beasts  ;  they  dwelt  in  huts  and  caves  in  the  forests  and 
marshes  ;  the  land  was  overspread  with  thickets  and 
barren  wastes,  and  no  towns,  cities,  or  splendid  edifi- 
ces, such  as  we  now  behold,  were  to  be  found  in  any 
quarter  of  Britain,  which  now  stands  in  the  first  rank 
of  Christian  and  civilized  nations.  It  only  requires  a 
little  more  beneficent  exertion,  and  the  whole  British 
Islands  might  be  changed  into  a  scene  of  beauty  and 
fertility  little  inferior  to  that  of  Eden.  Nay,  in  a  very 
short  period,  all  the  uncuhivated  wastes  of  the  globe 
might  be  adorned  with  eveiy  rural  beauty  and  every 
wilderness  made  to  bud  and  blossom  as  the  rose.  The 
money  which  has  been  spent  in  warfare,  during  the 
last  century,  by  Great  Britain  alone,  amounting  to 
nearly  two  thousand  millions  of  pounds,  would  have 
gone  a  great  way  towards  defraying  the  expense  of 
every  thing  requisite  for  transforming  almost  all  the 
desolate  wastes  of  the  globe  into  scenes  of  beauty  and 
vegetation.  And,  it  is  in  the  power  of  the  European 
nations — nay,  almost  in  the  power  of  Britain  herself — 
were  wealth  directed  into  its  proper  channels,  to  ac- 
complish nearly  all  that  is  now  stated,  during  the  next 


WERE    COVETOUSNESS    UNDERMINED.  211 

half  century,  if  they  would  at  this  moment  shake  off 
the  trammels  of  ambition  and  avarice,  and  arise  to  ho- 
ly and  beneficent  exertions.  If  ever  such  a  period  as 
the  scripture-millennium  arrives,  it  will  be  ushered  in  by 
such  physical  improvements,  in  simultaneous  combina- 
tion with  the  instruction  of  all  ranks,  the  energetic 
preaching  of  the  gospel,  and  the  universal  extension  of 
the  revelation  of  God  among  all  nations. 

Let  us  now  consider  for  a  moment,  some  of  the 
evils  of  the  social  state  which  should  be  remedied,  and 
the  improvements  which  should  be  carried  into  effect. 

If  we  look  into  our  cities  and  towns  we  shall  find 
them  abounding  with  many  nuisances  and  inconve- 
niences— narrow  streets,  dirty  lanes,  wretched  cellars, 
and  hovels  crowded  with  human  beings,  whole  families 
with  their  miserable  shreds  of  furniture  cooped  up  in 
one  narrow  apartment,  amidst  gloom,  filth,  and  disor- 
der— no  conveniences  for  washing,  bleaching,  or  for  en- 
joying the  cheerful  light  of  heaven  and  the  refreshing 
breeze.  In  such  situations,  numerous  diseases  are  en- 
gendered, the  true  enjoyment  of  life  prevented,  and  the 
period  of  human  existence  cut  short,  by  nearly  the 
one-half  of  its  average  duration.  If  we  inspect  many 
of  our  villages,  we  shall  find  similar  evils  tending  to 
human  wretchedness  and  debasement.  And,  if  we 
cast  our  eyes  over  the  country,  we  shall  find  a  glaring 
deficiency  of  comfortable  roads,  and  foot  paths,  and  of 
comfortable  dwellings  for  the  industrious  poor,  a  want 
of  bridges  for  regular  intercourse  between  villages, 
and  a  want  of  bowers  or  places  of  shelter  to  the 
weary  traveller,  either  from  the  heat  of  the  sun,  or  from 
rains  and  storms,  besides  marshes  that  might  be  drain- 
ed, moors  that  might  be  cultivated,  and  many  desolate 
wastes  that  might  be  turned  into  fertility  and  verdure, 
and  become  the  seats  of  an  industrious  and  happy  pop- 
ulation. 

Now,  all  these  and  similar  evils  might  be  removed, 
and  the  requisite  improvements  carried  forward,  were 
the  principle  of  avarice  undermined,  and  a  noble  gene- 
rosity to  pervade  the  minds  of  the  opulent  and  influen- 
tial class  of  the  community.     Were  societies  formed 


212     BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD, 

for  promoting  such  objects — not  for  the  purpose  of 
gain  or  the  mere  employment  of  superfluous  capital, 
but  for  the  purpose  of  general  improvement,  and  af- 
fording employment  to  the  industrious  laborer,  we 
might  have  roads  and  foot  paths  intersecting  the  coun- 
tiy  in  every  direction,  broad,  smooth,  and  cleanly,  and 
adapted  for  comfortable  travelling  and  pleasure  walks, 
at  all  seasons  of  the  year — cottages  and  garden-plots, 
furnished  with  every  requisite  convenience  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  the  industrious  classes — our  marshes 
drained  and  covered  with  corn — our  heath-clad  hills 
adorned  with  ever-greens  and  fruitful  trees — our  nar- 
row dirty  lanes,  where  men  are  huddled  together  like 
rabbits  in  their  cells,  completely  demolished — our  con- 
fined streets  expanding  into  cresents  and  spacious 
squares — new  towns  and  villages  arising  on  ample  and 
improved  plans — canals  and  rail-ways  intersecting  the 
country,  in  every  direction,  where  they  are  required — 
schools  and  seminaries  of  all  descriptions,  churches, 
lecture  rooms,  work  shops,  manufactories,  and  asylums 
for  the  aged  and  infirm^diversifying  the  rural  land- 
scape— and  the  once  barren  desert  rejoicing  amidst 
luxuriant  verdure,  and  with  the  hum  of  human  voices 
and  of  ceaseless  activity. 

That  such  im.provements  will  be  carried  forward  in 
the  days  of  the  millennium,  or  prior  to  its  commence- 
ment, appears  from  certain  predictions  which  have  a 
reference  to  that  period.  "  In  those  days,"  says  the 
prophet  Isaiah.  "  they  shall  build  houses  and  inhabit 
them,  and  plant  vineyards  and  eat  the  fruit  of  them. 
They  shall  not  build  and  another  inhabit ;  they  shall 
not  plant,  and  another  eat ;  for  as  the  days  of  a  tree  are 
the  days  of  my  people,  and  they  shall  long  enjoy  the 
work  of  their  hands.  They  shall  not  labor  in  vain,  nor 
bring  forth  for  trouble ;  for  they  are  the  seed  of  the 
blessed  of  the  Lord,  and  their  offspring  ^vith  them."* 
"  Then  shall  the  earth  yield  her  increase,  and  God, 
even  our  own  God,  shall  bless  us."  "  Then  shall  he 
give  the  rain  of  thy  seed,  that  thou  shalt  sow  the  ground 

♦  Isaiah  Ixv. 


WERE    COVETOrSXESS    UNDERMINED.  213 

withal,  and  bread  of  the  increase  of  the  earth,  and  it 
shall  be  fat  and  plenteous  ;  and  in  that  day  thy  cattle 
shall  feed  in  large  pastures.  The  seed  shall  be  pros- 
perous, the  vine  shall  give  her  fruit,  and  the  ground 
shall  give  her  increase,  and  the  heavens  shall  give  their 
dew ;  the  evil  beasts  shall  cease  out  of  the  land  ;  and 
they  shall  sit  every  man  under  his  vine  and  fig  tree, 
and  none  shall  make  him  afraid  ;  for  behold,  I  create 
Jerusalem  a  rejoicing,  and  her  people  a  joy."  The 
same  thing  may  be  intimated  in  the  following  passages 
which  refer  to  the  same  period  : — ••  Let  the  fields  be 
joyful,  and  all  that  is  therein,  let  the  hills  be  joyful  to- 
gether;  then  shall  all  the  trees  of  the  wood  rejoice  be- 
fore the  Lord :  for  he  cometh  to  judge  the  earth."* 
"  I  will  open  rivers  in  high  places  and  fountains  in  the 
midst  of  the  vallies,  I  will  make  the  wilderness  a  pool 
of  water,  and  the  dry  land  springs  of  water.  I  ^^^ll 
plant  in  the  wilderness,  the  cedar,  the  shittah  tree, 
and  the  myrtle,  and  the  oil-tree.  I  will  set  in  the 
desert  the  fir  tree  and  the  box  together ;  that  they 
may  see  and  know,  and  consider  that  the  hand  of 
the  Lord  hath  done  this."!  '•  I  will  make  a  way  in  the 
w^ilderness  and  rivers  in  the  desert."  "  Sing.  O  heav- 
ens, and  be  joyful,  O  earth,  and  break  forth  into  sing- 
ing, O  mountains,  ye  forests,  and  every  tree  therein." 
*'  Ye  shall  go  out  with  joy.  and  be  led  forth  with  peace  ; 
the  mountains  and  hills  shall  break  forth  before  you 
into  singing,  and  all  the  trees  of  the  fields  shall  clap 
their  hands.  Instead  of  the  thorn  shall  come  up  the 
fir  tree,  and,  instead  of  the  briar  shall  come  up  the 
m\Ttle  tree."J  "  And  they  shall  build  the  old  wastes, 
they  shall  raise  up  the  former  desolations,  and  they 
shall  repair  the  waste  cities,  the  desolations  of  many 
generations." 

Although  several  of  the  last  quoted  passages  may 
be  considered  as  having  a  reference  to  the  spiritual 
renovation  of  the  world,  yet  the  literal  meaning  is  not 
to  be  ahogether  excluded.  For  the  external  comforts 
of  mankind  and   the  natural   embellishments   of  the 

*  Psalm  xcvi.  t  Isaiah  xlL  18.  *  Isaiah  It.  12. 


214     BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD, 

earth  go  hand  in  hand  with  the  reception  of  Divine 
truth,  and  the  manifestation  of  Christian  virtues. 
Wherever  the  gospel  comes  in  its  power  and  renewing 
influence  upon  the  heart,  it  sooner  or  later,  brings  along 
with  it  the  blessings  of  civilization,  and  leads  to  the 
abandonment  of  rude  and  savage  practices — to  the 
improvement  of  the  soil,  and  to  the  rearing  of  cleanly 
villages  and  comfortable  habitations.  This  may  be 
seen  in  the  progress  of  Christianity  in  Southern  Afri- 
ca, where  the  narrow  and  filthy  kraals  of  the  Hotten- 
tots have  been  changed  into  substantial  and  commodi- 
ous dwellings  ;  and  in  the  Society  Isles,  where  gar- 
dens, villages,  spacious  churches,  seminaries,  and  state- 
ly mansions,  now  beautify  and  adorn  that  once  savage 
territory,  so  lately  the  seat  of  idolatry  and  "  the  habi- 
tations of  cruelty."  In  these  respects,  "the  fields" 
may  be  said  to  "  be  joyful,"  and  "  the  mountains  and 
the  hills  to  break  forth  into  singing,  and  the  desert  to 
rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose."  Such  predictions, 
too,  seem  to  intimate,  that  the  extensive  deserts  and 
tracts  of  barren  sand  now  lying  waste  and  uncultiva- 
ted, and  seldom  trodden  by  the  foot  of  man,  will  be 
brought  under  cultivation,  and  changed  into  a  scene  of 
delightful  verdure  ;  and  that,  upon  the  hideous  wilds 
where  Nineveh,  Babylon,  and  other  famous  cities  once 
stood,  other  splendid  cities  will  be  reared,  congenial  to 
the  holy  and  elevated  views  of  a  renovated  population. 
The  following  and  similar  passages  may  be  fairly  inter- 
preted in  this  sense.  "  I  will  make  the  dry  land 
springs  of  water,  and  I  will  plant  in  the  wilderness  the 
cedar,  the  shittah  tree,  and  the  myrtle.  They  shall 
build  the  old  loastes,  they  shall  raise  up  the  former  des- 
olations, and  they  shall  repair  the  waste  cities,  the  deso-_ 
lations  of  many  generations."  .     ^. 

How,  then,  are  such  glorious  transformations  to  be 
eflected  ?  Are  we  to  suppose,  that  God,  by  a  direct 
act  of  his  Almighty  power,  as  at  the  first  creation,  is  to 
sweep  the  dense  forests  from  the  earth,  level  the  moun- 
tains, prepare  high  ways  for  its  inhabitants,  and  plant 
with  his  own  hand  "  in  the  wilderness,  the  cedar,  the 
shittah  tree,  and  the  myrtle  ?"     Or  are  we  to  suppose, 


WERE    COVETOUSNESS    UNDERMINED.  215 

that  angelic  beings  are  to  be  sent  down  from  heaven 
to  perform  such  material  operations  ?  If  not,  then, 
they  must  be  effected  by  the  genius  and  energy  of  man. 
For,  whatever  man  is  enabled  to  perform,  under  the 
arrangements  of  the  Divine  government,  is  uniformly 
ascribed  to  God  as  the  Supreme  mover  and  director  of 
every  operation  ;  and  a  miracle  was  never  performed, 
when  human  agents,  by  the  ordinary  laws  of  nature 
were  able  to  accomplish  the  object  intended. 

And  how  is  man  to  accomplish  such  improvements, 
but  by  employing  his  treasures,  and  his  physical  and 
mental  energies  in  such  beneficent  operations  ?  Hith- 
erto, covetousness  has  prevented  such  desirable  im- 
provements from  being  effected.  When  requested  to 
embark  in  any  undertaking  which  has  for  its  object  the 
melioration  of  the  social  state,  its  uniform  language  is, 
"  will  it  pay  ?"  "  will  it  pay  ?"  "  will  it  produce  a  prop- 
er joer  centage  for  the  outlay  of  money  ?"  implying  that 
the  acquisition  of  more  money,  is  the  grand  stimulus 
which  should  excite  us  to  embark  in  any  undertaking. 
It  is  stated,  for  example,  that  certain  marshes,  mosses, 
and  heath-clad  hills,  can  never  be  cultivated,  because 
"  the  expense  of  cultivating  them  would  outrun  the 
profit."  This  is  an  argument  which  may  be  allowed 
to  a  man  who  worships  mammon  as  his  God,  and  who 
has  his  portion  only  in  the  present  life  ;  but  such  an  ar- 
gument ought  never  to  proceed  from  the  mouth  of  a 
Christian.  The  grand  question  to  be  determined  is,  *'  is  it 
expedient  and  requisite  that  such  improvements  should 
be  attempted,  and  is  it  consistent  with  the  will  and  pur- 
pose of  God,  that  they  should  be  accomplished?"  If 
such  questions  can  be  answered  in  the  affirmative,  then 
all  other  considerations  ought  to  be  laid  aside,  and  it 
ought  to  be  deliberately  considered,  and  laid  down  as 
a  maxim,  that  money  was  bestowed  by  God  just  for 
such  purposes,  and  not  to  be  put  in  a  bag,  or  "  laid  up 
in  a  napkin."  Were  such  views  generally  recognised, 
and  acted  upon,  a  new  impulse  would  be  given  to  hu- 
man activity,  and  a  new  aspect  would  begin  to  appear 
throughout  the  scene  of  nature,  and  of  general  society. 


216  BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD, 

How  many  thousands  are  to  be  found  in  our  cities  and 
populous  towns,  and  even  in  our  hamlets  and  villages, 
who  are  living  in  the  midst  of  fillh  and  wretchedness, 
either  altogetl)er  unemployed,  or  eking  out  a  scanty 
pittance,  scarcely  sufficient  to  keep  soul  and  body  to- 
gether, or  employed  in  pilfering,  or  other  criminal  pur- 
suits, who  would  rejoice  in  the  prospect  of  being  em- 
ployed in  rural  improvements ! 

Now,  were  some  hundreds  of  such  persons  distribu- 
ted, under  proper  superintendents,  m  different  parts  of 
the  country,  to  drain  a  marsh,  to  cultivate  a  desert,  to 
form  new  roads,  to  drive  soil  to  sandy  or  rocky  wastes, 
and  to  direct  rivulets  and  streams  of  water  to  flow 
through  such  places ;  were  small  towns  and  villages, 
on  spacious  plans,  to  be  reared  in  such  places,  and 
comfortable  habitations  for  the  industrious  laborers  ; 
were  schools  established  for  the  instruction  of  the  young, 
and  churches,  and  lecture-rooms  for  the  instruction  of 
adults  in  rel'gion,  and  in  every  branch  of  useful  knowl- 
edge, what  an  amount  of  enjoyment  might  be  commu- 
nicated to  thousands  of  miserable  creatures,  now  in  a 
state  of  penury  and  degradation  ?  and  what  a  beauti- 
ful transformation  would  appear  on  the  aspect  of  "  the 
wilderness,  and  the  solitary  place,"  now  covered  with 
briars  and  thorns,  and  untrodden  by  the  foot  of  man  ! 
Nothing  prevents  such  scenes  from  being  realized,  but 
the  principle  of  avarice  ;  and  it  becomes  Christians  to 
whom  God  has  granted  riches  and  property,  seriously 
to  consider,  whether  they  be  not  called  upon  by  the 
word  and  providence  of  God,  to  embark  in  such  under- 
takings, although,  instead  of  making  live  per  cent,  for 
their  money,  they  should  lose  twice  that  sum  in  accom- 
plishing such  designs.  The  question  with  a  Christian, 
ought  not  to  be,  what  is  the  per  centage  of  money  to 
be  acquired  ;  but  what  is  the  per  centage  of  happiness 
that  will  be  gained  to  mankind,  and  of  improvement 
on  the  face  of  nature.  Let  such  consider  what  1  say, 
and  "  may  the  Lord  give  them  understanding  in  all 
things  ?" 


WERE    COVETOt^NESS    UNDERMINED.  217 

3.  Were  covetousness  undermined,  we  might  soon 
have  institutions  established  for  the  intellectual  and  re- 
ligious instruction  of  persons  of  all  ranks  and  ages. 

This  is  a  most  important  consideration — a  subject 
the  most  momentous  of  any  that  can  engage  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Christian,  or  of  members  of  general  society. 
It  is  a  subject,  however,  which  has  been  most  unac- 
countably overlooked  by  all  ranks,  and  even  by  pro- 
fessed Christians  and  philanthropists.  Innumerable 
facts  which  have  lately  come  to  light,  in  our  own  land, 
abundantly  prove,  that  ignorance  and  crime  are  almost 
inseparably  connected  ;  and  the  same  position  is  con- 
firmed by  the  experience  of  almost  every  other  coun- 
tr5^  Notwithstanding  the  severity  and  the  multiplicity 
of  our  penal  statutes,  and  the  new  enactments  which 
are  issued,  year  after  year,  against  crimes,  they  have 
multiplied  almost  in  proportion  to  the  increase  of  our 
criminal  statutes.  It  has  been  calculated,  that  in  and 
about  London  alone,  there  are  above  fifty  thousand 
thieves  and  pick-pockets.  And  no  wonder,  when  we 
learn  from  the  Report  of  the  "  British  and  Foreign 
School  Society"  for  1833,  that  "in  the  Metropolis 
alone,  there  are  above  150,000  children  growing  up  to 
manhood  without  education."  In  Nottingham,  it  is 
found  that  more  than  a  thousand  children,  of  an  age 
suitable  for  school,  are  growing  up  in  total  ignorance ; 
and,  in  Herefordshire,  out  of  41,000  individuals,  only 
about  24,000,  or  little  more  than  one  half,  were  able  to 
read.  Instead  of  one  out  of  every  four  attending  in- 
struction, it  is  estimated,  that  throughout  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland,  there  is  not  above  one  out  of  twelve  or 
fourteen  of  the  population,  at  an  average,  enjoying  the 
means  of  regular  instruction ;  paltry,  and  ineflicient,  as 
they  generally  are.  Without  a  thorough  intellectual 
and  religious  education,  universally  extended,  commen- 
cing at  a  very  early  period  of  life,  and  continued  till 
manhood,  the  root  of  crime  will  never  be  extirpated  ; 
and  although  its  branches  may  be  occasionally  lopped 
off  by  the  sword  of  the  law,  they  will  always  be  ready 
to  break  out  in  fresh  luxuriance.  So  long  as  the  prin- 
19 


218     BENEFITS  WHICH   WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD, 

ciple  of  crime,  and  those  affections  which  lead  to  it  are 
suffered  to  remain  without  moral  counteraction ;  human 
laws,  however  severe,  will  be  altogether  inefficient, 
either  for  eradicating,  or  repressing  it. 

An  efficient  education  is  likewise  essentially  necessa- 
ry for  preparing  men  to  listen  with  attention  and  intel- 
ligence, to  the  declarations  of  the  gospel.  For  want  of 
that  intelligence  which  education  should  produce,  nei- 
ther rational  nor  moral  arguments  make  the  least  im- 
pression on  the  mind.  We  cannot,  in  many  instances, 
persuade  such  persons  to  attend  a  place  of  worship 
where  Scriptural  instruction  is  communicated ;  and 
when  they  are  constrained  to  enter  a  religious  assem- 
bly, they  are  incapable  of  fixing  their  attention  on  spir- 
itual subjects,  or  of  understanding  and  appreciating  the 
nature  and  importance  of  the  truths  delivered ;  so  that 
the  most  solemn  considerations  and  admonitions  pro- 
duce no  more  effect  in  exciting  to  repentance  and  seri- 
ous reflections,  than  "  a  sounding  brass  or  a  tinkling 
cymbal.*' 

Hence,  likewise,  the  confused  and  distorted  concep- 
tions of  Divine  truth  which  are  entertained  by  many 
of  the  regular  hearers  of  the  gospel ;  hence  the  little 
effect  produced  on  their  moral  chai^acters,  and  hence 
the  want  of  holy  energy,  and  of  that  noble  spirit  of 
Christian  heroism  and  generosity,  which  ought  to  dis- 
tinguish every  member  of  a  religious  community. 

Again,  universal  education  is  QSseniidX  for  preparing 
the  way  for  the  arrival  of  the  predicted  millennium. 
Such  a  period  cannot  possibly  be  ushered  in,  till  a  mor- 
al, intellectual,  and  religious  education  be  universally 
established,  and  the  benefits  of  it  enjoyed  by  all  ranks 
and  conditions  of  men.  It  is  in  tWs  and  the  effects 
which  will  flow  from  it,  that  the  essence  of  the  millen- 
nium will  chiefly  consist.  For,  at  that  period,  "  all 
shall  know  Jehovah  from  the  least  to  the  greatest,"  in 
consequence  of  which  "  all  the  ends  of  the  world  shall 
remember  and  turn  to  the  Lord,  and  all  kindreds  of  the 
nations  worship  before  him." 

At  present,  we  have  little  or  nothing  that  truly  de- 
serves the  name  of  education.     In  the  system  of  edu- 


WERE    COVETOUSNESS    UNDERMLNED.  219 

cation  which  has  hitherto  prevailed  in  our  country,  al- 
most every  thing  that  is  interesting  to  a  rational  and 
immortal  being  has  been  overlooked  and  omitted. 
Woi^ds  have  been  substituted  in  place  of  things ;  the 
elements  oHanguage  instead  of  the  elements  of  thought^ 
the  key  of  knowledge,  instead  of  knowledge  itself ;  Pa- 
gan maxims  instead  of  Christian  principles  and  pre- 
cepts ;  a  farrago  of  trash  selected  from  Heathen  Ora- 
tors, Poets,  old  plays,  fables,  romances,  and  novels,  in- 
stead of  the  grand  and  interesting  facts  of  sacred  his- 
tory, the  scenes  of  domestic  life,  the  useful  arts  and 
sciences,  the  beauties  of  creation,  and  the  sublime  and 
magnificent  scenery  of  the  universe.  Man  has  been 
considered  rather  as  a  kind  of  machine,  than  as  a  ra- 
tional intelligence,  and  our  systems  of  education  have 
treated  him  as  if  he  had  been  little  else  than  a  puppet, 
formed  for  mechanical  movements.  The  idea  that  he 
is  a  being  destined  to  a  future  and  eternal  existence, 
and  that  his  training  ought  to  have  a  respect  to  his  ul- 
timate destination,  has  been  almost  entirely  overlooked 
in  our  scholastic  arrangements ;  and  the  government 
of  the  temper  and  conduct,  according  to  the  maxims 
and  precepts  of  Christianity,  has  never  formed  a  prom- 
inent object  in  our  seminaries,  either  for  the  higher  or 
the  lower  ranks  of  society.  Besides,  our  scholastic  in- 
structions, deficient  as  they  are,  are  not  enjoyed  by  the 
one  half  of  our  population.  We,  therefore,  require  a 
system  of  education  to  be  established,  commencing  at 
two  years  of  age,  and  continued  till  twenty,  which 
shall  communicate  to  young  minds  the  elements  of 
thought,  and  which  shall  comprehend  all  those  useful 
branches  of  knowledge  in  which  man  is  interested  as 
a  rational  and  social  intelligence,  and  as  a  candidate 
for  a  blessed  immortality.  Our  grand  object  ought 
now  to  be,  that  there  shall  no  one  of  our  population 
who  stands  in  need  of  instruction,  be  without  the  means 
of  education, — so  that,  in  the  course  of  another  gene- 
ration, there  shall  not  be  an  ignorant,  and  scarcely  a 
vicious  individual  found  in  our  land. 

In  order  to  accomplish  such  a  grand  and  beneficent 
object,  we  must  have  infant  schools  established  for  all 


220     BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD, 

classes,  and  throughout  every  corner  of  the  land ; 
schools  for  the  intellectual  and  religious  education  of 
the  young,  from  the  age  of  six  to  the  age  of  fourteen 
years  ;  seminaries  for  instructing  apprentices,  journey- 
men, clerks,  shop-keepers,  and  other  classes  of  young 
men  and  women,  from  the  age  of  fourteen  to  twenty, 
or  upwards,  accommodated  to  their  conveniency,  and 
calculated  to  convey  to  them  instruction  in  the  higher 
departments  of  knowledge  and  religion ;  and  colleges 
for  the  moral  and  intellectual  training  of  ^ettc/^er^  fitted 
to  conduct  such  institutions. 

These,  with  similar  institutions,  and  courses  of  lec- 
tures on  every  branch  of  knowledge,  human  and  di- 
vine, require  to  be  established  in  every  district  through- 
out the  length  and  breadth  of  our  land. 

These  are  objects  not  only  of  vast  importance,  but 
which  would  require  for  their  accomplishment,  a  vast 
expense.  For  the  island  of  Great  Britain  alone,  there 
would  require  to  be  established  no  less  than  about  six- 
ty thousand  seminaries  of  the  description  to  which  I  al- 
lude ;  every  one  of  which,  including  an  apparatus,  mu- 
seum, and  every  thing  else  which  an  intellectual  semi- 
nary should  contain,  would  require  at  least  £1200  to 
be  devoted  to  its  erection  and  establishment,  which 
would  amount  to  seventy-tico  millions  of  British  pounds  I 
Great  as  this  sum  may  appear,  it  is  only  a  mere  itemy 
when  compared  with  the  hundi-eds,  or  rather,  thou- 
sands of  millions  which,  during  the  first  century,  were 
spent  in  the  folly  and  madness  of  warfare.  But,  by 
what  means  are  such  sums  to  be  raised,  so  long  as  cov- 
etousness  holds  its  sway,  as  it  has  hitherto  done,  over 
the  human  mind  ?  Neither  governments,  communities, 
nor  individuals,  will  come  forward  to  lend  their  aid  in 
promoting  such  objects,  till  the  principle  of  avarice  be 
undermined,  and  the  legitimate  use  of  wealth,  on  the 
principles  of  Christianity,  be  generally  appreciated. 
But,  were  this  object  in  some  measure  effected,  and  a 
principle  of  Chi'istian  generosity  beginning  to  gain 
the  ascendant,  there  would  not  be  the  least  difficulty 
in  accomplishing  every  thing  which  has  now  been  pro- 
posed.    We  have  the  means  in  our  power,  if  we  have 


WERE    COVETOUSNESS    UNDER3i1n^.  .221 

• 

the  will  to  apply  them  ;  for  there  is  more  money  sp«nt 
ever^"  year  in  folly,  extravagance,  and  vice,  thay  woulfl 
be  amply  sufficient  to  establish  every  institution  requi- 
site for  the  intellectual,  moral,  and  religious  instruction 
of  persons  of  every  age  and  sex,  and  of  all  ranks  of 
the  community.  And,  if  they  were  once  established, 
four  or  five  millions  annually  w^ould  be  sufficient  for 
conducting  their  operations  and  carrying  forward  eve- 
ry requisite  improvement.  And  what  a  bright  and  en- 
livening prospect  would  then  be  gradually  unfolding  to 
our  view  !  the  young  rising  up  in  wisdom  and  knowl- 
edge, and  in  favor  with  God  and  man  ;  useful  knowl- 
edge, and  Christian  principles  extending  their  influence 
throughout  all  ranks  ;  the  principle  of  crime  undermin- 
ed and  almost  eradicated  ;  property  secure  from  the 
inroads  of  the  pilferer  and  depredator ;  improvements 
of  every  description,  carried  forward  with  alacrity  and 
vigor ;  and  harmony,  and  order  introduced  into  every 
department  of  the  moral  world. 

All  these,  and  similar  effects  would  undoubtedly  be 
accomplished,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  were  we 
now  to  concentrate  all  our  physical  and  mental  ener- 
gies on  such  objects,  and  consecrate  a  fair  proportion 
of  our  wealth  towards  their  accomplishment.  It  is  by 
such  means,  we  may  rest  assured,  that  God  will  accom- 
plish his  eternal  purposes,  and  the  predictions  of  his 
word  in  reference  to  that  period,  when  "  the  glory  of 
Jehovah  shall  be  revealed,  and  all  flesh  shall  see  it  to- 
gether," and  "  when  all  shall  know  him  from  the  least 
to  the  greatest." 

4.  Tlie  progress  of  science  and  art  would  he  promo- 
ted, were  covetousness  counteracted,  and  a  spirit  of 
generosity  diflTusing  itself  throughout  society. 

The  progress  of  the  sciences  and  arts  has  generally^ 
kept  pace  with  the  progress  of  Christianity.  They  are 
intimately  connected  with  religion,  and  have  been  in- 
strumental in  its  propagation  and  extension.  Without 
the  aid  of  printing,  the  revelations  of  heaven,  could 
never  have  been  so  extensively  circulated  as  they  now 
19* 


222     BENEFIT*  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD, 

ai^,  by  the  millions  of  Bibles,  and  other  books  on  the- 
©logy,  that  have  issued  from  the  press.  Without  the 
marineVs  compass,  and  the  art  of  navigation,  we  could 
never  nave  visited  the  "  isles  afar  off"  in  the  midst  of 
the  ocean,  to  communicate  to  their  benighted  inhabit- 
ants, the  knowledge  of  salvation.  Without  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  globular  form  of  the  earth,  which  science 
has  demonstrated,  many  regions  of  our  world  could 
never  have  been  explored,  and  we  should  have  remain- 
ed in  ignorance  of  America,  Australasia,  and  many  oth- 
er countries,  with  which  we  now  regularly  correspond. 
Without  a  knowledge  of  this  fact,  and  of  the  extent  of 
the  earth's  diameter,  we  could  not  have  measured  the 
distances  and  magnitudes  of  the  heavenly  bodies  ;  and, 
without  the  use  of  the  telescope,  we  could  never  have 
explored  the  magnificent  scenes  of  the  universe  which 
it  has  laid  open  to  view,  and  consequently,  could 
never  have  formed  such  enlarged  conceptions,  as  we 
can  now  do,  of  the  attributes  and  operations  of  the 
Creator. 

It  is,  therefore,  of  importance,  in  a  religious  point  of 
view,  that  science  and  art  should  be  improved,  and  car- 
ried forward  towards  perfection.  For  the  more  mi- 
nutely the  wonders  of  nature  are  explored,  the  more 
distinctly  do  we  perceive  the  traces  of  Infinite  wisdom 
and  intelligence,  and  the  boundless  power  and  good- 
ness of  Him  "  whose  kingdom  ruleth  over  all."  In  pro- 
portion too,  to  the  extent  and  accuracy  of  our  views  of 
the  system  of  creation,  shall  we  be  enabled  to  perceive 
the  harmony  which  subsists  between  the  operations  of 
God  in  the  visible  universe,  and  the  revelations  of  his 
word. 

And,  as  art  has,  hitherto,  facilitated  the  progress  of 
the  gospel,  and  the  extension  of  Christianity  to  distant 
lands,  so  we  have  reason  to  believe,  that  it  will  contrib- 
ute still  more  extensively  to  its  propagation  in  future 
ages,  than  it  has  ever  yet  done  in  the  ages  that  are  past. 
Great  improvements  are  still  required,  both  as  to  the 
safety^  and  the  rapidity  of  our  modes  of  conveyance, 
from  one  place  to  another,  whether  by  sea,  or  land., 
Ships  require  to  be  constructed  on  improved  plans,  Ies& 


WERE    COVETOUSNESS    UNDERMINED.  223 

liable  to  be  endangered  by  the  billows  of  the  deep,  or 
even  when  striking  against  a  shoal,  and  from  the  re- 
cent progress  of  invention,  it  is  not  unlikely  that  con- 
trivances may  be  suggested  for  impelling  them  across 
the  ocean  with  a  greater  degree  of  velocity,  than  has 
hitherto  been  attained,  and  which  may  enable  them  to 
glide,  with  more  safety^  through  the  foaming  billows. 
Locomotive  engines,  by  land,  may  be  brought  to  a  still 
greater  degree  of  perfection ;  and  even  balloons  may 
be  constructed  with  apparatus  adequate  to  conduct 
them,  in  any  direction  through  the  regions  of  the  at- 
mosphere. Agricultural  instruments  may  be  contrived 
for  facilitating  rural  operations  and  the  cultivation  of 
the  soil ;  and  new  inventions  brought  to  light  for  the 
quick  performance  of  all  kinds  of  labor,  so  that  the  la- 
boring classes  may,  ere  long,  have  abundant  leisure  for 
the  enjoyment  of  the  bounties  of  the  Creator,  and  for 
storing  their  minds  with  all  kinds  of  knowledge  both 
human  and  divine.  Our  knowledge  of  the  powers  of 
nature,  and  of  the  functions  of  the  animal  system,  may 
be  so  increased,  as  to  enable  us  to  prevent  diseases  of 
every  description  ;  and  instruments  or  contrivances  of 
various  kinds  may  be  invented  to  ward  off  those  disas- 
ters, and  fatal  effects  which  now  so  frequently  flow 
from  the  operations  of  lightning,  noxious  gases,  storms, 
and  tempests,  and  other  agents  in  the  system  of  nature, 
which  have  so  frequently  been  the  cause  of  many  acci-"** 
dents  and  calamities. 

Now,  it  might  easily  be  shown,  that  all  such  improve- 
ments in  science  and  art,  are  intimately  connected  with 
rehgion,  and  have  a  bearing  upon  the  happiness  of  man^ 
and  upon  the  propagation,  and  the  universal  establish- 
ment of  Christianity  throughout  the  world.  But,  with' 
out  money,  such  improvements  cannot  be  efiected. 
Many  persons  of  genius,  who  have  hit  upon  useful  in- 
ventions, have  been  obliged  to  drop  the  prosecution  of 
their  plans,  when  they  were  nearly  ripe  for  execution^ 
for  want  of  pecuniary  means  to  carry  them  into  effect. 
And,  in  numerous  instances,  when  a  model,  or  small 
machine  has  been  constructed  to  illustrate  the  opera- 
tion  of  a  certain  principle  or  theory,  the  want  of  money 


224       BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD, 

or  patronage,  has  prevented  its  being  exhibited  on  a 
large  scale,  so  as  to  demonstrate  its  practical  utility ; 
and  all  the  labor,  anxiety,  and  expense  previously  in- 
curred, have  been  wasted  to  no  purpose.*  But  if  av- 
arice were  transformed  into  generosity,  and  generosity 
directed  to  patronise  and  assist  schemes  which  are 
praise-worthy,  and  of  practical  utility,  many  useful  con- 
trivances, which  are  now  in  embryo,  might  soon  be 
brought  to  perfection,  and  rendered  subservient  to  the 
good  of  mankind. 

Those  who  are  possessed  of  wealth,  have  it  not  only 
in  their  power  to  patronise  persevering  genius,  but  to 
estabhsh  lectures  on  science,  and  every  branch  of  use- 
ful knowledge ;  to  build  lecture-rooms,  to  provide  ap- 
paratus, to  erect  observatories,  to  found  museums  in 
towns,  villages,  and  all  parts  of  the  country ;  and,  in 
proportion  as  science  is  extended,  and  the  number  of 
rational  inquirers  and  experimenters,  is  increased,  may 
we  expect,  that  new  facts  will  be  elicited  from  the  sys- 
tem of  nature,  and  new  inventions  brought  to  light  for 
the  improvement  of  the  social  state  of  mankind.  The 
sums  wasted  in  extravagance  and  luxury,  in  gambling, 
horse-racing,  and  hounding,  or  hoaixled  for  the  pur- 
pose of  gratifying  a  covetous  propensity,  might,  when 
applied  in  this  way,  draw  forth  the  latent  sparks  of  ge- 

*  A  scientific  gentleman,  of  very  limited  income,  had,  for  several 
years,  devoted  a  considerable  portion  of  his  time  to  experiments,  tend- 
ing to  prove,  that  a  beautiful  and  permanentVight  maybe  obtained  from 
electricity,  and  has  already  exhibited  an  apparatus  and  experiments  on 
a  small  scale,  which  prove,  that  the  object  intended  is  likely  to  be  ef- 
fected, could  funds  be  procured  to  encourage  the  ingenious  and  perseve- 
ring inventor,  and  enable  him  to  go  forward  with  his  experiments  on  a 
larger  scale.  A  nobleman  in  the  neighborhood,  distinguished  for  his 
"  liberal  politics,"  lately  paid  a  visit  to  the  inventor,  and  was  gratified 
in  witnessing  some  of  the  experiments.  He  told  him  to  pei'severe,  and 
if  the  plan  succeeded,  as  was  expected,  he  would  have  his  mansion  illu- 
minated by  this  electrical  light.  But  although  he  must  have  known 
that  the  inventor's  income  was  extremely  limited,  and  that  he  must 
have  denied  himself  most  of  the  comforts  of  life,  from  having  laid  out 
so  much  expense  in  conducting  his  experiments,  he  never  thought  of 
saying  to  him,  "  I'll  give  you  a  hundred  guineas  to  enable  you  to  per- 
fect your  invention,  and  to  bring  it  forth  for  the  good  of  mankind;"  al- 
though he  could  well  afford  it,  and  has  doubtless,  spent  ten  times  that 
sum  for  a  worse  purpose.  Such,  however,  is  the  conduct  of  avarice, 
combined  with  indifference  to  the  promotion  of  the  good  of  society. 


WERE  COVETOUSNESS  UNDERMINED.      225 

nius  and  prove  a  powerful  stimulus  to  inventions  and  en- 
terprises, which  might  contribute  to  the  advancement 
of  society,  and  to  the  counteraction  both  of  physical  and 
moral  evil. 


5.  The  progress  of  Christianity  through  the  icorld 
icould  be  rapidly  promoted,  were  the  inordinate  love  of 
wealth  thoroughly  subdued. 

It  is  evident,  from  the  general  tenor  of  the  scrip- 
tures, and  particularly  from  the  writings  of  the  proph- 
ets, that  the  blessings  of  salvation  are  intended  to  be 
enjoyed  by  all  the  nations  of  the  world.  "  It  is  a  light 
thing,  (saith  God,  when  addressing  Messiah,)  that  thou 
shouldst  be  my  servant  to  raise  up  the  tribes  of  Jacob, 
and  to  restore  the  preserved  of  Israel,  /  will  also  give 
thee  for  a  light  to  the  Gentiles,  that  thou  mayest  he  my 
salvation  to  the  ends  of  the  earthy  Hence,  it  was 
among  the  last  instructions  that  Christ  delivered  to  the 
apostles,  and  to  all  their  successors  in  their  name  : 
"  Go  ye  into  all  the  icorld  and  preach  the  gospel  to  ev- 
ery creature  ;  and  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway  even  to  the 
end  of  the  world."  Notwithstanding  the  lapse  of  1800 
years  since  this  commission  was  given  to  the  followers 
of  the  Redeemer,  it  has  only  been  very  partially  ful- 
filled. Darkness  still  covers  the  greater  part  of  the 
earth  and  gross  darkness  the  people.  The  greater 
portion  of  the  vast  continents  of  Asia  and  Africa,  a 
great  proportion  of  America,  and  even  of  the  southern 
parts  of  Europe  ;  almost  the  whole  of  Australasia,  the 
immense  islands  of  Borneo,  Sumatra,  Madagascar,  the 
Kuriles,  Japan,  and  hundreds  of  other  islands,  inhabit- 
ed by  millions  of  human  beings,  still  lie  within  the  con- 
fines of  Pagan  darkness,  where  scarcely  a  ray  of  Di- 
vine light  has  yet  penetrated  "  to  guide  "  their  benight- 
ed inhabitants  "  in  the  way  of  peace."  Even  in  those 
nations  where  the  religion  of  Jesus  is  known  and  es- 
tablished, the  inhabitants  are  not  yet  half-christianized, 
and  multitudes  "  are  perishing  for  lack  of  knowledge," 
even  where  the  sound  of  the  go&pel  is  heard,  and  its 


226       BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD, 

light  shining  around  them,  for  want  of  proper  instruc- 
tion to  arouse  their  attention. 

To  fulfil  the  commission  of  Christ,  and  to  bring  into 
effect  the  purposes  of  God  in  the  conversion  of  the  na- 
tions, will  therefore  require  vast  and  long  continued 
exertions.  If  our  future  movements  be  as  slow,  and 
our  energies  as  feeble  as  they  have  been  for  300  years 
past,  we  could  not  expect  to  behold  the  glory  of  the 
millennium,  till  after  the  lapse  of  two  thousand  years. 
Yet  it  is  in  our  power,  as  agents  under  the  guidance  of 
the  Divine  spirit,  to  hasten  the  approach  of  the  blissful 
era,  within  little  more  than  half  a  century,  if  we,  at 
this  moment,  arouse  ourselves  from  apathy  and  spirit- 
ual slumber,  and  bring  forth  all  the  treasures  at  our 
command  to  carry  forward  the  enterprise.  But  with- 
out wealth,  and  that,  too,  to  a  vast  amount,  nothing  of 
any  great  importance  can  be  achieved.  If  the  princi- 
ple of  covetousness  shall  still  hold  possession  of  the 
soul,  as  it  has  done  for  ages  past,  and  if  even  Christians 
will  entrammel  themselves  in  the  cords  of  avarice,  and 
refuse  to  come  forward  with  that  noble  generosity 
which  becomes  their  character,  and  lay  down  theu* 
wealth  "  at  the  feet "  of  the  messengers  of  salvation, 
as  was  done  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  our  hopes  of  the 
speedy  conversion  of  the  world  will  be  miserably  dis- 
appointed. 

What  is  all  that  has  been  done  hitherto,  in  propa- 
gating the  gospel,  compared  with  what  might  have  been 
done,  had  we  learned  the  true  application  of  riches ; 
had  we  been  deeply  impressed  with  the  importance 
of  such  enterprises,  and  acted  in  the  character  of  de- 
voted servants  of  the  Redeemer,  "  who  count  all  things 
but  loss,"  in  comparison  of  the  interests  of  his  king- 
dom ?  All  that  has  hitherto  been  raised  for  missionary 
purposes  within  the  last  two  years,  (and  it  is  chiefly 
within  this  period  that  such  enterprises  have  been  in 
operation)  is  little  more  than  two  or  three  millions  of 
pounds,  when  at  least  five  times  such  a  sum  might  have 
been  raised  every  year,  had  we  been  animated  with 
finy  thing  like  the  spirit  and  the  holy  zeal  of  the  primi- 
tive Christians.     This  is  evident  from  what  has  been 


WERE    COVETOrSNESS    UNDERMINED.  227 

Stated  in  the  preceding  chapter.  Were  thousands  of 
Christians,  on  whom  God  has  bestowed  property  and 
riches,  to  consecrate — not  the  whole  of  their  estates,  as 
was  done  at  the  period  alluded  to — but  only  the  one- 
half,  what  immense  sums  for  rearing  the  spiritual  tem- 
ple, might  speedily  be  raised  !  And  such  sums  are  al- 
most indispensably  requisite.  We  have  a  work  of  im- 
mense extent  and  importance  to  accomplish.  We 
require  thousands,  and  ten  thousands  of  preachers, 
missionaries,  catechists,  linguists,  translators,  school- 
masters, lecturers,  and  other  laborers,  to  be  trained  for 
their  respective  departments  of  sacred  labor.  We 
require  them  to  be  more  ilioroughly  trained  than  they 
have  ever  yet  been  for  the  services  to  which  they  are 
devoted.  It  is  not  enough  that  a  missionary,,  of  any 
description,  be  a  man  of  piety,  though  this  quahfication 
is  essentially  requisite.  He  should,  if  possible,  be  a 
man  of  universal  knowledge,  having  his  rnind  richly 
imbued  with  all  the  information  he  can  acquire  on  sa- 
cred and  civil  history,  mythology,  science  and  art,  and 
the  system  of  nature,  in  all  its  departments  ;  for  he  will 
find  abundant  scope  for  all  his  acquirements,  wherever 
he  may  labor  in  the  heathen  world,  and  particularly, 
among  those  tribes  that  have  made  certain  advances 
towards  a  state  of  civilization.  From  such  sources,  he 
must  occasionally  draw  his  illustrations  of  Divine  sub- 
jects, and  his  proofs  of  the  facts  and  doctrines  of  revela- 
tion ;  and  endeavor  to  make  general  knowledge  on  every 
useful  subject,  go  hand  in  hand  with  his  expositions  of 
the  Christian  system.  In  particular,  he  should  be  thor- 
oughly acquainted,  both  with  the  theory  and  practice, 
of  the  most  efficient  modes  of  intellectual  and  moral 
instruction,  to  which  I  lately  alluded  ;  in  order  that  he 
may  seize  on  the  first  opportunities  of  imbuing  the 
minds  of  the  young  with  general  knowledge,  and  with 
the  facts  and  principles  of  religion.  I  am  fully  con- 
vinced that  far  more  converts  will  be  made  from 
among  the  heathen,  by  the  early  and  judicious  instruc- 
tion of  the  young,  than  by  preaching  to  the  adult  pop- 
ulation, though  both  plans  should  be  attended  to,  and 
go  hand  in  hand.     By  arranging  a  judicious  system  of 


228      BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD, 

education  for  the  young  we  may  strike  at  the  root  of 
those  heathenish  opinions,  practices,  and  prejudices, 
which  have  so  powerful  an  influence  over  adults  in 
preventing  the  reception  of  Divine  truth;  and  have  it 
in  our  power  to  prepare  the  youthful  mind  for  listen- 
ing with  attention  to  the  truths  and  historical  details  of 
Christianity,  when  they  arrive  at  riper  years.  Such 
seminaries  would  undoubtedly  prove  "  nursing  moth- 
ers" to  the  church,  from  which  the  greater  part  of  the 
young  would  come  forth  to  consecrate  themselves  to 
the  service  of  the  Redeemer,  and  to  the  promotion  of 
the  prosperity  of  his  kingdom. 

Now,  in  Older  to  ac(-omplish  such  objects,  we  re- 
quire colleges  to  be  founded,  and  professors  appoint- 
ed for  instructing  students  and  intended  missionaries,  in 
all  those  branches  of  knowledge  with  which  they 
ought  to  be  acquainted.  We  require,  as  their  instruct- 
ors, men  of  general  information,  of  talent  and  piety, 
who  will  render  their  lectures  and  other  instructions, 
as  popular  and  perspicuous  as  possible  ;  and  who,  on 
every  branch  of  science,  will  point  out  the  moral  and 
religious  purposes  to  which  it  may  be  applied,  and  di- 
rect their  students  to  render  every  department  of  hu- 
man knowledge  subservient  to  the  interests  of  Christ- 
ianity. We  require,  that  our  missionaries  be  possessed 
of  vigorous  mental  powers,  and  that  they  be  instructed 
in  the  best  modes  of  infant  education,  and  that  they 
actually  practice  as  teachers  of  such  institutions,  as 
well  as  in  conducting  those  of  a  higher  order,  that  they 
may  be  quite  familiar  with  all  the  details  connected 
with  such  seminaries,  and  be  competent  to  superintend 
them  wherever  they  can  be  established  in  heathen 
countries.  We  require,  that  they  should  have  a  com- 
petent acquaintance  with  the  construction  of  the  in- 
struments connected  with  science,  and  modern  im- 
provements, and  the  manner  of  applying  them  to  prac- 
tical purposes,  so  that  they  may  be  enabled  to  explain 
and  exhibit  them  in  the  countries  whither  they  are 
sent,  and  to  introduce  among  their  inhabitants  whatever 
may  tend  to  gratify  a  rational  curiosity,  or  to  promote 
their  physical  comfort.     For  all  such  purposes,  funds  to 


WERE    COVETOUSNESS    UNDERMINED.  229 

a  considerable  extent  are  required,  for  creating  semi- 
naries— for  salaries  to  professors — for  supporting  stu- 
dents— for  sending  out  missionaries — for  supporting 
them  for  a  season — for  apparatus  for  infant  schools 
and  other  seminaries — for  books  on  general  knowl- 
edge, and  the  instruments  connected  with  science,  hus- 
bandry, and  the  mechanical  arts.  And  whence  are 
funds  to  be  supplied  if  the  spirit  of  covetousness  is  not 
counteracted  and  subdued  ? 

We  have,  hitherto,  been  parsimonious  in  the  extreme, 
in  our  contributions  for  missionary  purposes,  and  we 
have  been  almost  equally  parsimonious  in  the  training 
and  preparation  required  for  our  missionaries,  and  in  the 
equipment  and  encouragement  afforded  them.  We 
ought  to  serve  God,  in  all  cases,  and  in  this  in  particular, 
"  with  our  best ;"  with  the  highest  talents,  and  the 
greatest  measure  of  acquired  knowledge  we  can  com- 
mand ;  and  with  all  the  auxiliaries  for  facilitating  the 
work  in  view,  which  Christian  wisdom  can  devise;  and 
then  we  may  go  forth  with  confidence,  trusting  in  Him 
"  who  hath  the  residue,  of  the  spirit,"  that  he  will  render 
our  endeavors,  when  conducted  with  wisdom,  successful 
for  promoting  the  extension  of  his  spiritual  kingdom.  Let 
Christians,  then,  seriously  ponder  on  this  subject,  and 
consider  whether  there  be  not  an  urgent  call  address- 
ed to  them  in  the  providence  of  God,  to  awake  fronn 
their  slumbers,  and  come  forth  with  their  treasures,  in 
a  far  more  liberal  manner  than  they  have  ever  yet 
done,  to  assist  in  rearing  the  spiritual  temple  of  Jeho- 
vah. 

Some  years  ago,  I  was  conversing  with  a  shrewd 
and  intelligent  gentleman  on  the  subject  of  missionary 
operations,  who  seemed  to  think  that  there  was  too 
much  fuss  and  bustle  about  such  enterprises,  when  so 
much  is  required  to  be  done  at  home  with  the  money 
expended  on  such  objects.  "  I  do  not  think,"  he  said, 
"  that  the  heathen  are  in  so  wretched  and  danger- 
ous a  state,  as  many  of  our  religionists  represent,  and 
would  have  us  believe  ; — but,  if  I  really  thought,  that 
they  were  perishing  for  lack  of  knowledge,  and  expos- 
ed to  everlasting  misery  on  this  account,  and  if  preach- 
20 


230       BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD. 

ing  the  gospel  to  them  would  prevent  their  destruction 
— then  I  admit,  that  we  all  ought  either  to  embark  as 
missionaries,  or  sell  the  greater  part  of  our  property  in 
order  to  send  messengers  for  their  deliverance.  We 
ought  even  to  sell  all  that  we  have  to  our  last  coat,  if 
such  an  object  might  thereby  be  accomplished."  And 
does  not  every  Christian,  at  least  theoretically,  admit, 
that  the  heathen  nations  are  in  a  dangerous  situation, 
as  here  supposed,  and  exposed  to  misery  in  the  life  to 
come  ?  Whatever  opinions  we  may  form  of  the  salv- 
able  state  of  any  small  portion  of  the  Pagan  world,  it 
is  a  fact,  that  the  great  majority  of  heathens,  by  the 
malignant  passions  and  ferocious  tempers  they  display, 
appear  altogether  unfitted  and  unprepared  for  the  en- 
joyments of  the  celestial  world  ;  and  consequently, 
cannot,  in  such  a  state,  be  admitted  into  the  mansions 
of  bliss,  and  if  their  existence  be  prolonged,  when  they 
pass  from  this  earthly  scene,  it  must  of  necessity  be  an 
existence  connected  with  misery.  It  must,  therefore  be 
an  object  of  the  greatest  moment  to  embark  in  an  under- 
taking which  has  for  its  grand  aim,  to  enlighten  '•  the 
people  who  are  sitting  in  darkness,  and  the  shadow  of 
death,  to  guide  their  feet  in  the  way  of  peace,"  and  to 
prepare  them  for  glory  and  immortality.  And  although 
we  were  "  to  sell  the  half  of  our  goods,"  and  devote 
it  to  such  objects,  we  should  do  no  more  than  the  import- 
ance and  the  eternal  consequences  of  such  enterprises 
evidently  require. 

There  is  now  a  call,  and  an  urgent  call,  from  tribes 
and  nations  in  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  to  send  to 
them  the  messengers  of  peace  and  salvation.  "  The 
wiWerness  and  the  solitary  places,  the  isles  and  the  in- 
habitants thereof  are  lifting  up  their  voices  "  from  afar 
to  the  people  of  Britain  and  America,  to  send  to  them 
the  revelations  of  heaven,  and  missionaries  to  expound 
them.  India  alone,  at  this  moment,  requires  at  least,  a 
thousand  enlightened  and  devoted  men  to  sow  the  seed 
of  the  Divine  word,  and  to  refresh  ihe  spiritual  wilder- 
ness of  that  vast  heathen  territory,  with  the  streams  of 
salvation.  Ethiopia  is  beginning  to  stretch  out  her 
hands  to  God,  and  many  of  her  sable  sons  are  now 
w^aiting  for  his  salvation,  and  hailing  the  arrival  of  the 


WERE    COVETOUSNE9S    UNDERMINED.  231 

messengers  of  peace.  The  inhabitants  of  the  frozen 
regions  of  Greenland,  Labrador,  and  Siberia,  are  im- 
ploring Divine  instruction  from  Christian  nations,  and 
thousands  of  Negroes  under  the  scorching  suns  of  the 
West  Indies,  are  ardently  longing  to  be  furnished  with 
copies  of  the  book  of-  God.  The  Chinese  are  now 
beginning  to  enquire  after  the  Oracles  of  heaven,  and 
the  arts  and  sciences  of  Christian  nations.  Even  from 
"  the  ends  of  the  earth,"  from  the  distant  barbarous 
isles  of  the  Pacific,  the  cry  is  now  heard  in  our  land, 
"  Britons,  come  over  and  help  us  ?"  Their  inhabitants 
are  trembling  lest  the  messenger  of  death  should  seize 
them,  before  the  ships  that  convey  British  missionaries 
appear  in  their  horizon,  and  lest  a  sufficient  number 
should  not  arrive.  They  are  "  lifting  up  their  voices 
from  their  rocks,  and  shouting  from  the  tops  of  their 
mountains,"  in  expectation  of  the  heralds  of  the  prince 
of  peace,  and  are  ready  to  receive  them  with  open 
arms.  And  will  Christians,  who  profess  to  be  infinitely 
indebted  to  the  Redeemer  who  purchased  them  with 
his  blood — who  profess  to  regard  Salvation  as  of  all 
things  the  most  desirable  and  momentous,  and  who 
would  tremble  at  the  thought  of  the  possibihty  of  their 
own  eternal  destruction — will  Christians,  to  whom  God 
has  given  wealth,  suffer  their  minds  to  be  so  governed 
by  the  "  mammon  of  unrighteousness,"  that  they  will 
refuse  to  bring  forth  their  treasures  at  his  call,  as  the 
means  of  "  delivering  those  who  are  ready  to  perish," 
and  rescuing  their  souls  from  destruction?  If  so,  where 
is  their  love  to  the  Saviour  ?  where  is  their  benevolence 
towards  men  ?  where  is  their  belief  of  the  importance 
of  eternal  realities  ?  and  where  is  the  evidence  they 
give  that  they  ought  to  be  distinguished  by  the  Christ- 
ian name  ? 

O  !  into  what  a  blissful  scene  might  this  ruin  of  a 
world  yet  be  transformed,  were  covetousness  thor- 
oughly subdued,  and  were  only  those  who  profess  to 
be  Christians,  to  come  forth  with  unanimity,  and  lay 
down  their  superfluous  treasures  at  the  foot  of  the 
cross  !  In  the  short  space  of  little  more  than  half  a 
century  to  come,  we  might  behold  celestial  light  diffu- 


232       BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLP, 

sing  its  radiance  over  the  most  distant  and  benighted 
regions  of  the  globe  ;  the  idols  of  the  nations  abolished  ; 
the  savage  raised  to  the  dignity  of  his  moral  and  intel- 
lectual nature,  and  his  mind  adorned  with  the  beauties 
of  holiness  ;  the  instruments  of  warfare  broken  to 
shivers,  and  peace  shedding  its  benign  influence  over 
the  world  ;  temples  erected  in  every  land  for  the  wor- 
ship of  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ; 
the  minds  of  the  young  irradiated  with  Divine  knowledge, 
and  rising  up  in  wisdom,  and  in  favor  with  God  and  man ; 
the  principle  of  crime  extirpated,  and  poverty  and  wretch- 
edness banished  from  the  earth  ;  the  moral  wilderness 
of  the  heathen  world  cultivated  and  adorned  with  eve- 
ry heavenly  virtue  and  grace  ;  the  wastes  and  wilds  of 
the  globe  transformed  into  fertile  regions,  and  arrayed 
in  all  the  beauties  of  Eden  ;  the  hatred  and  jealousy  of 
nations  changed  into  benevolence,  and  a  friendly  and 
harmonious  intercourse  established  between  all  the 
tribes  and  families  of  the  earth ! 

And  is  not  the  prospect  of  the  mere  possibility  of 
accomplishing  such  objects,  sufficient  to  quicken  every 
Christian  activity  and  to  draw  forth  every  generous 
emotion  ?  more  especially  when  we  consider  that  such 
events  are  predicted  in  the  records  of  ancient  prophe- 
cy ;  that  the  certainty  of  their  being  reahzed  is  confirm- 
ed by  the  declaration  and  the  oath  of  God  ;  and  that 
the  energies  of  the  Divine  spirit  are  promised  to  accom- 
pany our  endeavors  and  to  secure  their  ultimate  suc- 
cess ?  Let  us  then,  arise  and  "  shake  ourselves  from 
the  dust " — from  the  dust  of  carnal  maxims  and  worldly 
views  ;  and  be  "  strong  in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  power 
of  his  might.'^  "  For  as  the  rain  cometh  down  and  the 
snow  from  heaven,  and  returneth  not  thither,  but  wa- 
tereth  the  earth,  and  maketh  it  bring  forth  and  bud,  so 
(saith  Jehovah,)  shall  my  word  be  that  goeth  forth  out 
of  my  mouth ;  it  shall  not  return  unto  me  void,  but  it 
shall  accomplish  that  which  I  please,  and  it  shall  pros- 
per in  the  thing  whereto  I  sent  it.'*  "  I  have  sworn  by 
myself,  the  word  is  gone  out  of  my  mouth  in  righteous- 
ness and  shall  not  return,  that  unto  me  every  knee  shall 
bow  and  every  tongue  shall  swear.     For  Zion's  sake  i 


WERE    COVETOUSNESS    UNDER3IINED.  233 

will  not  hold  my  peace,  till  the  righteousness  thereof 
go  forth  as  brightness,  and  the  salvation  thereof  as  a 
lamp  that  burneth.  And  the  Gentiles  shall  see  thy 
righteousnes  and  all  kings  thy  glory.  For,  behold  I 
create  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth,*  and  the  former 
shall  not  be  remembered  nor  come  to  mind.  But,  be 
ye  glad  and  rejoice  forever  in  that  which  I  create  ;  for, 
behold,  1  create  Jerusalem  a  rejoicing,  and  her  people 
a  joy.  And  there  shall  be  nothing  to  hurt  or  destroy 
in  all  my  holy  mountain  saith  the  Lord."f 

6.  We  might  expect  the  speedy  arrival  of  the  mil- 
lennial era,  were  a  spirit  of  Christian  generosity  uni- 
versally to  prevail. 

To  this  topic  I  have  already  had  occasion  to  allude, 
particularly  in  the  preceding  section,  and  I  shall  there- 
fore offer  only  a  few  additional  remarks. 

That  a  period  is  about  to  arrive  when  the  physical 
and  moral  condition  of  the  human  race,  is  to  be  great- 
ly meliorated,  when  the  ignorance  and  idolatry  of  the 
heathen  world  are  to  be  abolished,  and  when  Divine 
truth  shall  extend  its  influence  over  all  nations,  is  clear- 
ly predicted  in  the  writings  of  the  Jewish  prophets.  In 
these  writings  it  is  declared,  that  "the  glory  of  Jehovah 
shall  be  revealed,  and  all  flesh  shall  see  it  together^' — 
that  "  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  remember  and  turn 
to  the  Lord" — that  "  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord" — that  "Jehovah  shall  make 
bare  his  holy  arm  in  the  eyes  of  all  the  nations,  and  all 
the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  see  the  salvation  of  our  God'* 
— that  "  the  heathen  shall  be  given  to  the  Redeemer  for 

*  The  "  new  heavens  and  new  earth"  here  mentioned,  evidently  de- 
note the  renovation  of  the  physical,  moral,  and  spiritual  world,  at  the 
period  when  the  gospel  shall  be  universally  extended,  by  which,  a 
change,  in  these  respects,  will  be  effected,  which,  in  prophetic  language, 
may  be  very  properly  compared  to  a  new  creation,  on  account  of  the 
contrast  it  will  exhibit  to  the  state  of  the  world  in  preceding  ages.  That 
the  passage  does  not  refer  to  the  period  of  the  resurrection,  appears 
from  what  is  stated  in  the  sequel  of  this  chapter.     Isaiah  Ixv. 

t  Isaiah  Iv.  10, 11 ;  xlv.  23  ;  Ixii.  1,  2 ;  Ixv.  17,  18,  25. 

20* 


234     BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD, 

his  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for 
his  possession" — that  "  all  kings  shall  fall  down  before 
him,  all  nations  serve  him,  and  the  whole  earth  be  filled 
with  his  glory." 

Predictions  of  this  description,  run  through  most 
parts  of  the  inspired  writings,  and  are  embodied  in  nu- 
merous passages  which  we  are  apt  to  overlook,  partic- 
ularly in  the  Book  of  Psalms.  AH  the  calls,  or  com- 
mands to  praise  God,  which  are  addressed  to  the  in- 
habitants of  the  world  at  large,  may  be  considered  as 
including  predictions  of  such  events  ;  as  in  the  follow- 
ing and  similar  passages  :  "  Make  a  joyful  noise  to  the 
Lord  all  the  earth,  make  a  loud  noise,  and  sing  praise." 
"  Sing  unto  the  Lord  a  new  song,  sing  unto  the  Lord 
all  the  earth.  Worship  the  Lord  in  the  beauty  of  ho- 
liness, fear  before  him  all  the  earth.  Sing  unto  God, 
ye  kingdoms  of  the  earth,  O  sing  praises  to  Jehovah." 
"  O  praise  the  Lord  all  ye  nations,  praise  him  all  ye 
people,"  &:c. 

And,  since  God  has  given  a  universal  call  to  all  peo- 
ple to  engage  in  his  service,  we  may  rest  assured,  that 
this  call  will,  at  some  future  period,  be  universally  re- 
sponded to  by  the  inhabitants  of  every  clime.  For  the 
word  which  has  proceeded  out  of  the  mouth  of  Jeho- 
vah, shall  not  return  to  him  void,  but  shall  accomplish 
the  purposes  of  his  will.  "  His  counsel  shall  stand,  and 
he  will  do  all  his  pleasure."  In  accordance  with  such 
calls,  we  find  likewise,  in  the  Book  of  Psalms,  many 
positive  declarations  on  this  subject.  "  All  the  earth 
shall  worship  thee,  they  shall  sing  to  thy  name."  "  The 
people  shall  praise  thee,  O  God,  all  the  people  shall 
praise  thee.  God  shall  bless  us,  the  fields  shall  yield 
their  increase,  and  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  fear 
him."  "  The  heathen  shall  fear  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
and  all  the  kings  of  the  earth  thy  glory."  "  All  nations 
whom  thou  hast  made,  shall  come  and  worship  before 
thee,  O  Lord,  and  shall  glorify  thy  name."  "  All  the 
kings  of  the  earth  shall  praise  the  Lord,  when  they 
hear  the  words  of  thy  mouth."  "  From  the  rising  of 
the  sun  to  the  going  down  of  the  same,  God's  name  is 
to  be  praised."     "  Kings  of  the  earth  and  all  people. 


WERE    COVETOUSNESS    UNDERMINED.  235 

princes  and  all  judges  of  the  earth,  both  young  men 
and  maidens,  old  men  and  children,  shall  praise  the 
name  of  the  Lord  ;  for  his  name  alone  is  excellent,  and 
his  glory  is  above  the  earth  and  heavens."  Our  duty, 
in  reference  to  the  promotion  of  such  events,  is  likewise 
plainly  declared.  "  O  bless  our  God,  ye  people,  and 
make  the  voice  of  his  praise  to  be  heard.'^  "  Declare  his 
glory  among  the  heathen  ;  his  wonders  among  all  peo- 
ple.'^ "  Thy  saints  shall  speak  of  the  glory  of  thy  king- 
dom, and  talk  of  thy  power,  to  make  known  to  the  sons 
of  men  his  mighty  acts,  and  the  glorious  majesty  of  his 
kingdom." 

The  above  passages,  although  there  were  no  others 
recorded  in  the  book  of  God,  on  this  subject, — clearly 
point  to  a  period,  when  the  moral  state  of  the  world 
shall  be  regenerated,  when  persons  of  all  ranks  shall  do 
homage  to  the  Redeemer,  and  when  the  light  of  Divine 
truth  shall  shed  its  radiance  on  every  land.  It  is  of 
importance  that  a  clear  conviction  of  the  certainty  of 
such  events  should  be  deeply  impressed  upon  the  mind 
of  every  professor  of  religion ;  as  some  who  call  them- 
selves Christians,  have  not  only  insinuated,  but  openly 
declared,  that  the  state  of  the  world  will  never  be  much 
better  than  it  is ;  and,  consequently,  that  we  need  give 
ourselves  little  trouble  in  making  exertions  for  the  re- 
generation of  society — which  is  just,  in  other  words,  an 
apology  for  indulgence  in  covetousness.  But  nothing, 
I  presume,  can  be  more  decisive,  in  reference  to  the 
approach  of  the  millennial  era,  than  the  passages  we 
have  now  quoted,  if  the  word  of  God  is  not  to  be  deem- 
ed fallacious. 

This  period,  we  trust,  is  now  fast  approaching ;  and 
our  duty  in  reference  to  it,  is  clearly  pointed  out ;  "  de- 
clare his  glory  among  the  heathen,  and  his  wonders 
among  all  people.  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord, 
make  straight  in  the  desert  a  high  way  for  our  God. 
O  thou  that  bringest  good  tidings  to  Zion,  lift  up  thy 
voice  with  strength  ;  lift  it  up,  be  not  afraid  ;  say  unto 
the  cities  of  Judah,"  and  to  the  tribes  of  the  heathen,. 
"  behold  your  God."  While  we  engage  in  our  duty  in 
reference  to  such  events,  we  have  full  assurance  of  di- 


236     BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD, 

rection  and  support  from  Him,  who  is  the  moral  gov- 
ernor of  the  world,  and  the  Supreme  disposer  of 
events.  When  it  is  declared  that  "  all  the  ends  of  the 
earth  shall  turn  to  the  Lord,  and  all  kindreds  of  the  na- 
tions worship  before  him" — it  is  added,  "  for  the  king- 
dom is  the  Lord's,  and  He  is  the  Governor  among  the 
nations."  And,  consequently,  he  can  remove  ever}^ 
obstruction  out  of  the  way,  and  arrange  every  event  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  facilitate  the  progress  of  Divine 
truth  through  the  world  till,  at  length,  "  the  everlasting 
gospel  shall  be  preached  to  them  that  dwell  upon  the 
earth,  and  to  every  nation,  and  kindred,  and  tongue, 
and  people." 

The  only  thing  to  be  determined,  is,  whether  that 
renovated  and  happy  state  of  the  world,  which  we  call 
the  millennium,  shall  be  introduced  by  some  astonish- 
ing miracles,  such  as  happened  at  the  creation,  and  the 
deluge  ;  or,  by  the  agency  of  Christian  men  under  the 
influence  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  devoting  all  their  talents, 
energies,  and  treasures,  to  the  accomplishment  of  this 
object.  For  the  former  supposition,  I  know  no  argu- 
ments grounded  either  on  reason,  or  the  dictates  of 
levelation. 

To  suppose  the  Almighty,  to  interpose  by  such  mir- 
acles to  accomplish  such  events,  would  be  contrary  to 
eveiy  thing  we  know  of  the  principles  of  the  Divine 
government,  or  of  its  operations  during  the  lapse  of 
more  than  four  thousand  years.  At  the  introduction, 
indeed,  of  the  New  Testament  economy,  miracles 
were  wrought  by  Jesus  Christ,  to  demonstrate  to  the 
world  his  Messiahship,  and  a  similar  power  was  con- 
ferred on  his  apostles,  to  convince  their  hearers,  where- 
ever  they  travelled,  that  they  were  the  messengers  of 
heaven,  and  that  they  had  authority  for  the  truths  they 
declared.  But  no  miraculous  cliange  was  effected  in 
the  general  order,  either  of  the  physical  or  the  moral 
world.  It  might  be  asserted,  without  fear  of  contra- 
diction, that,  throughout  the  whole  train  of  the  Divine 
dispensations  towards  our  world,  there  was  never  a 
miracle  performed  to  accomplish  any  object,  when  thai 


WERE    COVETOUSNESS    UNDERMK^ED.  237 

object  could  have  been  effected '  in  consistency  with  the 
established  laws  of  nature. 

Now,  men,  "  as  workers  together  w^ith  God,"  are  ad- 
equate to  accomplish  all  that  is  predicted  respecting 
the  happiness  and  glory  of  the  millennial  era,  provided 
they  arouse  themselves  to  holy  energy  and  activity, 
and  are  willing  to  consecrate  their  mental  powers, 
and  their  worldly  riches  to  the  promotion  of  this  noble 
object.  Besides,  were  the  millennium  to  be  introduced 
by  a  sudden  miracle,  it  would  deprive  the  saints  of 
God,  both  of  the  honor  which  will  be  conferred  upon 
them,  in  being  instrumental  in  preparing  the  way  for 
its  arrival,  and  of  the  happiness  they  will  feel  in  behold- 
ing the  Divine  plans  gradually  accomplishnig,  and  their 
own  exertions  crowned  with  success. 

For,  since  the  physical  and  moral  state  of  the  world 
has  been  deranged  by  the  sin  of  man,  and  since  God  in 
his  mercy  has  determined  to  effect  its  regeneration,  it 
ought  to  be  considered  as  a  high  honor  conferred  upon 
his  people,  that  he  has  been  pleased  to  select  them  as 
agents  in  accomplishing  his  benevolent  designs ;  and 
all  who  are  "right  hearted  men,"  will  enrol  themselves 
in  the  service  of  the  Redeemerj  as  Christian  heroes,  to 
increase  the  number  of  his  subjects,  and  to  extend  his 
kingdom  over  the  world  ;  and  to  this  service,  they  will 
account  it  their  greatest  happiness  to  devote  all  their 
wealth  and  treasures.  "  This  honor  have  all  the  saints  ;** 
and  it  is  to  be  hoped,  they  will  now  come  forward, 
with  cheerfulness,  and  alacrity,  in  numerous  bands, 
casting  their  treasures  at  his  feet,  "  and  give  him  no  rest 
till  he  establish,  and  till  he  make  Jerusalem  a  praise  in 
the  earth." 

If  then,  it  be  admitted,  that  the  millennium  will  be 
ushered  in  by  the  exertions  of  the  friends  of  the  Re- 
deemer, in  conjunction  with  the  agency  of  the  Spirit  of 
God ;  the  most  energetic  means  ought  now  to  be  em- 
ployed, and  with  unremitting  activity,  in  order  to  ac- 
comphsh  this  desirable  e7id.  And,  as  those  means  in- 
volve a  consecration  of  a  far  greater  portion  of  wealth 
than  has  ever  yet  been  devoted  to  the  service  of  God, 
the  principle  of  covetousness,  in  all  the  shapes  it  as« 


238     BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD, 

sumes,  must  be  almost  completely  extirpated,  and  new 
principles  acted  upon,  in  relation  to  the  appropriation 
of  riches,  before  we  can  expect  to  behold  those  ar- 
rangements going  forward,  which  are  requisite  to  bring 
about  this  "  consummation  so  devoutly  to  be  wished." 
Christians  may  wish,  and  liope,  and  pray  with  apparent 
fervor,  for  the  coming  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  and 
the  glory  of  tlie  latter  days — they  may  profess  to  cele- 
brate his  death,  to  celebrate  his  praise,  and  may  make 
a  great  stir  and  bustle  about  adhering  to  his  cause  and 
testimony;  but  unless  they  put  their  hands  in  their 
pockets  to  supply  the  means  requisite  for  accomplish- 
ing the  benevolent  purposes  of  God,  our  expectations 
of  the  near  arrival  of  the  millennium  will  be  frustra- 
ted ;  and  their  conduct  can  be  considered  as  only  a 
mockery  of  God,  while  under  profession  of  serving 
him,  "  their  hearts  are  still  going  after  their  covetous- 
ness." 

The  arrangements  requisite  for  preparing  the  way 
for  the  approach  of  the  millennium,  have  already  been 
stated  in  the  preceding  sections. 

Abundant  provision  requires  to  be  made  to  promote 
the  external  comfort  of  the  poor,  and  other  ranks  of 
society ;  many  physical  evils  require  to  be  remedied  ; 
improvements  of  every  description  carried  forward ; 
the  wastes  and  deserts  of  the  earth,  cultivated  and 
adorned :  old  cities  and  towns  cleared  of  every  nui- 
sance ;  and  new  towns  and  villages  erected  on  spacious 
and  improved  plans,  adapted  to  health,  cheerfulness, 
and  comfort.  Seminaries  require  to  be  estabhshed  for 
the  instruction  of  all  ranks,  in  every  department  of 
knowledge,  connected  with  the  life  that  now  is,  and 
the  life  to  come,  without  which  the  foundations  of  the 
millennial  state  cannot  be  laid.  All  the  useful  arts  and 
sciences  must  be  promoted  and  carried  towards  per- 
fection, as  auxiliaries  to  the  extension  of  the  gospel  and 
the  renovation  of  the  world.  Missionary  enterprizes 
must  be  carried  on  with  more  vigor,  and  on  a  scale  far 
more  extensive  than  they  have  ever  yet  been,  before 
we  can  expect  to  behold  the  dawnings  of  the  millenni- 
al glory. 


WERE    COVETOUSNESS    UNDERMINED.  239 

In  order  to  accomplish  such  objects,  it  is  evident, 
that  vast  resources  of  wealth  are  absolutely  requisite  ; 
resources  a  hundred  times  greater  than  have  hitherto 
been  consecrated  to  the  service  of  God,  and  the  benefit 
of  man.  But,  I  have  already  shown,  that  we  have 
wealth  adequate  to  every  purpose  now  suggested,  if 
we  choose  to  employ  it  in  such  achievements.  Instead 
of  a  quarter  of  a  million,  we  might  raise  fifty,  or  even 
a  hundred  milhons  of  pounds  annually,  to  promote  the 
extension  of  Messiah's  kingdom,  the  improvement  of 
society,  and  the  regeneration  of  the  world.  And,  while 
such  sums  are  raised,  and  employed  in  such  operations, 
no  want  of  real  comfort  would  be  felt,  but  on  the  con- 
trary, a  degree  of  rational  and  sensitive  enjoyment,  far 
superior  to  what  has  ever  been  experienced  in  the 
world. 

It  was  lately  stated,  in  some  of  our  periodicals,  that 
there  are  in  and  about  London,  about  two  or  three  hun- 
dred individuals,  whose  fortunes  combined,  would  be 
nearly  sufficient  to  pay  off  the  whole  of  our  National  debt, 
now  amounting  to  above  800,000,000.  What  would 
the  half,  or  even  the  tenth  part  of  such  wealth  not  ac- 
complish, were  it  applied  in  consistency  with  the  dic- 
tates of  reason  and  religion  ?  But  where  do  we  ever 
find  such  an  appropriation  of  such  abundant  riches  ?  Is 
it  not  a  proof,  or  something  approximating  to  it,  that 
we  might  be  characterized  rather  as  a  nation  of  athe- 
ists and  infidels,  than  as  a  nation  of  Christians,  when 
so  little  of  our  national  wealth  flows  into  Christian  and 
philanthropic  channels  ?  Let  us  no  longer  boast  of 
Britain  being  by  way  of  eminence  a  Christian  land,  till 
we  display  more  Christian  principle  in  our  actions,  and 
a  more  noble  spirit  of  Christian  liberality  than  we  have 
done  for  ages  past.  If  we  wish  to  lay  claim  to  this  sa- 
cred name,  let  us  show  by  our  Christian  virtues,  our 
Christian  generosity,  and  our  heavenly  aims,  that  we 
are  entitled  to  this  distinguishing  appellation. 

For  raising  such  contributions  as  those  to  which  I 
allude — I,  in  the  mean  time,  look  to  Christians  alone, 
and  not  to  nations  or  communities,  that  have  assumed 
that  name.     As  for  those  who  are  governed  by  carnal 


240     BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD, 

maxims,  and  the  fashion  of  the  world,  we  might  as  soon 
attempt  to  control  the  laws  of  nature,  or  to  reason  with 
the  tornado,  or  the  whirlwind,  as  to  expect  that  any 
arguments,  however  powerful,  will  make  the  least  im- 
pression on  their  hearts,  or  induce  them  to  alter  the 
conduct  they  have  hitherto  pursued. 

But,  I  trust,  that  amidst  all  the  apathy  that  prevails 
in  regard  to  this  subject,  there  are  still  many  thousands 
in  ou^  land,  who  only  require  to  have  their  duty  clear- 
ly set  before  them,  in  order  to  excite  them  to  the  no- 
blest displays  of  Christian  beneficence.  And,  if  they 
were  once  aroused  to  devote  their  wealth  to  the  cause 
of  the  Redeemer,  and  to  come  boldly  forward  as  Chris- 
tian heroes,  in  the  face  of  the  world,  "  counting  all 
things  but  loss,"  in  comparison  of  the  prosperity  and 
extension  of  Messiah's  kingdom — their  example,  I  doubt 
not,  would  prove  a  powerful  stimulus  to  thousands  of 
Christians  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  to  embark  in  the 
same  glorious  undertaking. 

It  is  strange,  it  is  passing  strange — it  is  wonderful,  it 
is  passing  wonderful  !  that  Christians  should  have  been 
so  long  sunk  into  a  state  of  apathy  on  such  a  subject, 
and  that  they  should  never  yet  have  come  forward  with 
treasures  corresponding  to  their  high  and  heavenly 
character,  and  to  the  greatness  oX  the  work  they  are 
called  upon  to  achieve.  Had  God  commanded  us  to 
forsake  houses  and  lands,  and  friends,  and  country — to 
sell  all  that  we  have,  and  devote  it  to  his  service,  and 
to  depend  every  day  for  our  sustenance,  on  whatever 
his  providence  might  supply,  it  would  have  been  our 
duty  cheerfully  to  have  acquiesced  in  such  an  arrange- 
ment, in  gratitude  for  the  spiritual  benefits  he  had  con- 
ferred ;  "  for  the  suflferings  of  the  present  time  are  not 
to  be  compared"  with  the  glories  of  futurity.  But 
when  he  requires  from  us  only  the  superfluities  of  our 
wealth,  which  are  not  essential  to  our  comfort,  and 
which  are  generally  devoted  to  "  the  lust  of  the  eye, 
and  the  pride  of  life,"  why  should  we  hesitate  a  mo- 
ment to  devote  all  we  can  spare  from  moderate  per- 
sonal enjoyment,  to  the  service  of  the  Most  High  ?  Is 
it  consistent  with  a  man's  being  a  Christian,  indeed, 


WERE    COVETOUSNESS    UNDERMINED.  241 

and  in  truth,  to  hesitate  for  any  length  of  time  on  this 
subject?  Were  Christ  now  to  demand  of  wealthy- 
Christians  what  he  once  demanded  of  the  young  man 
who  came  to  inquire  the  way  to  eternal  life,  "  Go  sell 
all  that  thou  hast  and  give  to  the  poor,  and  come  and  take 
up  thy  cross  and  follow  me,"  how  would  many  of  them 
reply  to  such  an  injunction  ?  We  are  in  the  habit  of 
condemning  the  choice  of  this  rich  man,  in  having  his 
heart  so  much  glued  to  the  world,  and  in  preferring 
temiporal  enjoyments  to  eternal  realities.  But  let  me 
ask,  how  many  British  professing  Christians,  were  the 
same  requisition  addressed  to  them,  would  act  in  a  dif- 
ferent manner  ?  And,  if  there  be  any  who  can  lay 
their  hands  upon  their  hearts,  and  say,  as  in  the  pres- 
ence of  God,  that  they  would  be  willing  "  to  forsake 
all "  at  his  command,  let  them  now  come  forth,  in  the 
face  of  the  church  and  the  world,  and  consecrate  to 
the  service  of  the  Redeemer,  all  that  they  can  possi- 
bly spare  in  consistency  with  rational  enjoyment. 

Let  none  imagine  that  the  views  now  stated  are  Uto- 
pian, or  inconsistent  with  reason  or  revelation.  To 
accomplish  every  object  which  has  been  adverted  to,  we 
require  nothing  more  than  the  faculties,  and  the  wealth 
which  now  exist  in  society.  The  only  desideratum  lies 
in  the  human  will.  Will  men  cOme  forward  with  all 
their  energies  and  riches  in  this  glorious  cause  ?  Se- 
cure the  co-operations  of  the  human  will,  and  I  should 
have  no  fear  of  the  grand  result,  nor  of  any  arguments 
that  could  be  brought  forward  to  show  its  impractica- 
bility. I  defy  any  believer  in  revelation  to  prove,  that 
the  grand  objects  alluded  to  are  impracticable.  Is  it 
impracticable  to  cultivate  barren  wastes,  and  to  turn 
the  wilderness  into  fruitful  fields  ?  Have  not  Britain 
and  the  Eastern  States  of  America  been  cleared  of 
their  ancient  forests,  and  been  transformed  into  gar- 
dens and  cultivated  plains  ?  and  where  savages  once 
roamed  among  caves  and  thickets,  are  there  not  splen- 
did cities,  palaces,  temples,  and  seats  of  learning  every' 
where  to  be  seen  ?  Is  it  impracticable  to  arrange  and 
establish  a  system  of  moral  and  intellectual  instruction 
for  all  ranks  of  men  ?  Are  there  not  thousands  of  sem- 
21 


242     BENEFITS  WHICH  WOULD  FLOW  TO  THE  WORLD, 

inaries,  both  in  Europe  and  America,  and  millions  re- 
ceiving instruction  at  them,  where,  a  centur^^  ago,  no 
such  institution  existed?  Is  it  impracticable  to  con- 
vert savage  nations  to  the  Christian  faith,  and  to  bring 
them  into  a  state  of  civilization  and  social  comfort. 
Have  not  thousands  and  ten  thousands  of  rude  Hotten- 
tots, and  the  idolatrous  savages  of  the  Isles  of  the  Pa- 
cific, been  turned  from  heathen  darkness,  to  the  light 
of  the  gospel,  and  raised  from  a  state  of  degradation  to 
the  enjoyment  of  the  blessings  of  civilized  life,  within 
the  course  of  the  last  thirty  years  ?  In  such  instances, 
we  behold  at  least  a  j)o,rtial  accomplishment  of  the  ob- 
jects to  which  we  allude ;  and  on  the  principal  that 
"  whatever  man  has  done,  man  may  clo,'^  it  requires 
notliing  more  than  an  indefinite  increase  of  the  same 
energies  we  have  already  put  forth,  and  a  greater  pro- 
portion of  wealth  to  assist  in  carrying  forward  such 
energies,  in  order  to  bring  into  effect  every  thing  re- 
quisite for  the  regeneration  of  the  world. 

Above  all,  can  we  say,  that  it  is  impracticable  to 
bring  about  what  God  has  positively  declared  shall  be 
realized  in  our  world  ?  He  hath  given  forth  his  de- 
cree, and  "  sworn  by  his  holiness,"  and  "  by  the  right 
hand  of  his  strength,"  to  secure  its  accomplishment — 
that  "  the  whole  earth  shall  be  filled  with  his  glory,  and 
all  flesh  see  it  together" — that  "  the  heathen  shall  fear 
the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  all  kings  of  the  earth  his 
glory" — that  "there  shall  be  nothmg  to  hurt  or  destroy, 
in  all  his  holy  mountain," — and  "  that  righteousness  and 
praise  shall  spring  forth  before  all  nations."  And  we 
know,  that  "his  counsel  shall  stand,  and  he  will  do  all 
his  pleasure,"  for  "  the  kingdom  is  the  Lord's,  and  he 
is  the  Governor  among  the  nations,"  and  "  all  his  saints 
are  in  his  hand,"  as  instruments  to  execute  his  designs. 

Shall  it  then  be  said,  that  the  physical  and  moral  re- 
novation of  the  world  is  impracticable  ?  or  that  it  is 
impossible  to  raise  a  hundred  millions  of  pounds,  every 
year  for  such  an  object,  when  no  less  than  fifty  mill- 
ions are  annually  expended  in  Great  Britain  and  Ire- 
land for  ardent  spirits  alone.  It  is  calculated,  that 
there  are  in  the  British  metropolis  alone,  upwards  of 


WERE    COVETOUSNESS    UNDERMINED.  243 

one  hundred  thousand  confirmed  dram-drinkers,  who 
drink,  on  an  average,  two  glasses  of  spirits  a  day,  which, 
allowing  only  \\d.  per  glass,  makes  £1250  daily  spent 
in  dram-drinking,  which,  in  a  single  year,  amounts  to 
the  enormous  sum  of  £456,250,  or  nearly  half  a  million 
of  pounds,  which  is  nearly  double  of  what  is  contribu- 
ted by  all  the  Bible  and  Missionar}'  Societies  of  Brit- 
ain. And  shall  less  than  the  twelfth  part  of  the  popu- 
lation of  London  spend  such  an  enormous  sum  in  such 
"\icious  and  degrading  practices,  and  shall  the  whole 
inhabitants  of  Britain  not  raise  the  one  half  of  it  for 
promoting  the  most  glorious  and  important  object  to 
which  our  aims  can  be  directed  ?  A  most  glaring  de- 
ficiency in  Christian  principle  and  liberality  must  exist, 
where  such  incongruities  occur ;  and,  it  is  now  more 
than  time  for  Christians  to  ask  themselves,  what  they 
have  been  doing  with  their  money.  A  laboring  dram- 
drinker  can  devote  two  shillings  a  week,  or  nearly  five 
guineas  a  year,  to  his  demoralizing  habits,  while  a 
wealthy  Christian,  with  five  times  his  income,  contents 
himself,  perhaps,  with  the  contribution  of  a  single  guin- 
ea, or  even  less,  for  promoting  the  kingdom  of  Christ, 
and  the  eternal  salvation  of  men  !  Such  an  inconsisten- 
cy ought  no  longer  to  exist  among  those  who  assume 
the  Christian  name.  Let  them  either  take  their  stand 
at  once,  among  the  men  of  the  world,  who  attempt  to 
serve  both  God  and  mammon,  or  come  forward  like 
noble  champions  of  the  cross,  and  consecrate  to  the 
honor  of  God,  treasures  worthy  of  the  sublime  and 
glorious  unkertaking,  which  they  are  called  upon  to 
achieve. 


CHAPTER    VII. 


ON    THE    MEANS    TO    BE    EMPLOYED    FOR    THE    COUNTER- 
ACTION   OF    COVETOUSNESS. 

Every  improvement  in  society  is  brought  about  by 
exertion,  and  by  the  diligent  use  of  those  means  which 
are  best  calculated  to  promote  the  end  intended. 
Christianity  was  introduced  into  the  world,  and  rapidly 
extended  over  many  nations,  by  the  unwearied  labors 
of  the  apostles,  who  travelled  into  remote  countries, 
submitting  to  numerous  hardships  dangers  and  priva- 
tions, and  "  counted  not  their  lives  dear  to  them,  so  that 
that  they  might  testify  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God," 
and  promote  the  salvation  of  men.  Had  the  same 
holy  ardor  which  animated  those  first  ambassadors  of 
the  Prince  of  Peace,  been  displayed  by  their  successors, 
the  world  would  have  been  in  a  very  different  state 
from  that  in  which  we  now  behold  it.  It  is  owing  to 
our  apathy  and  inactivity  as  Christians,  that  so  many 
immoralities  and  unholy  principles  are  to  be  found  dis- 
playing their  baneful  effects  around  us,  and  that  so  lit- 
tle has  been  done  for  the  advancement  of  society,  and 
the  evangelization  of  heathen  nations.  If  we  wish  to 
behold  a  work  of  reformation  going  forward,  and  Zion 
beginning  to  appear  "  beautiful  and  glorious  in  the  eyes 
of  the  nations,"  we  must  arouse  ourselves  from  our  in- 
dolence, and  seize  upon  every  means  by  which  vice 
and  every  malignant  principle  may  be  counteracted 
and  thoroughly  subdued.  And  as  covetousness  lies 
near  the  foundation  of  most  of  the  evils  connected 
w^ith  general  society,  and  with  a  profession  of  Christ- 
ianity, it  becomes  us  to  use  every  rational  and  Christian 
21* 


246       ON  THE  MEANS  TO  BE  EMPLOYED 

mean,  which  may  have  a  tendency  to  crush  its  power, 
and  to  promote  the  exercise  of  opposite  affections. 
Some  of  the  means  by  which  this  unholy  principle  may 
be  subdued,  have  already  been  alluded  to,  and  embodi- 
ed in  the  form  of  motives  and  arguments  addressed  to 
the  consciences  of  professors  of  religion.  In  addition 
to  these,  I  shall  suggest  only  two  or  three  partic- 
ulars. 


1.  Frequent  preaching  on  this  subject,  and  occasional 
public  sermons  for  the  j^urpose  of  illustrating  it — 
should  be  resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  counteracting 
this  malignant  affection. 

There  is  perhaps  no  mode  by  which  so  powerful  an 
impression  may  be  made  on  any  subject,  on  the  minds 
of  Christians  in  general,  as  by  the  viva  voce  discourses, 
of  a  respected,  eloquent,  and  enlightehed  preacher,  es- 
pecially if  his  discussions  be  enlivened  by  vivid  repre- 
sentations of  sensible  objects,  and  appeals  to  striking 
facts  connected  with  his  subject.  Such  appeals  can 
scarcely  be  altogether  resisted  by  persons  impressed 
with  religious  principle  ;  and  it  is  to  be  regretted,  that 
Christians  have  not  more  frequently,  in  this  way,  been 
stirred  up  to  a  performance  of  their  duty.  Nor  ought 
it  to  be  considered  as  deviating  from  the  preaching  of 
the  gospel,  when  such  subjects  are  introduced  into  the 
pulpit.  For,  they  are  intimately  connected  with  the 
progress  of  Divine  truth ;  and  the  gospel  can  never 
extensively  take  effect,  nor  its  principles  be  fully  acted 
upon  in  Christian  society,  till  such  subjects  be  pointedly 
and  publicly  brought  forward,  and  undergo  the  most  se- 
rious and  solemn  consideration.  But  it  requires  to  be 
carefully  attended  to,  that  no  preacher  come  forward 
publicly  to  denounce  covetousness,  and  to  attempt  to  stir 
up  Christians  to  hberality,  who  is  himself  known,  or  sus- 
pected to  be  under  the  influence  of  a  worldly  or  avari- 
cious disposition.  The  most  vivid  representations,  and 
the  most  pathetic  appeals  of  such  a  preacher  would 
only  rebound  from  the  hearts  of  his  audience,  like  an 


FOR  THE  COUNTERACTION  OF  COVETOUSNESS.   247 

arrow  from  a  wall  of  marble.  For  how  could  a  man 
who  is  continually  aspiring  after  wealth,  living  in  splen- 
dor, yet  grumbling  on  account  of  the  smallness  of  his 
income,  and  who  seldom  gives  in  proportion  to  his 
ability  to  any  philanthropic  object ;  how  could  such  a 
one  expect,  by  the  most  splendid  oration,  to  produce 
a  deep  and  moral  impression  upon  his  hearers  ?  For 
example,  in  this,  as  well  as  in  every  other  case,  would 
have  a  more  powerful  effect  than  precept. 

A  few  months  ago,  I  was  conversing  with  a  gentle- 
man on  this  subject,  who  mentioned  several  honorable 
examples  of  liberality  connected  with  the  congrega- 
tion of  which  he  is  a  member  ;  some  of  whom,  who 
only  occupied  a  medium  station  in  life,  contributed  to  the 
amount  of  twenty  and  thirty  pounds  yearly  for  public 
religious  purposes,  so  that  the  whole  congregration 
raised  £500  or  £600  annually  for  missionary  and  oth- 
er purposes,  besides  the  regular  maintenance  of  the 
gospel  among  themselves.  His  minister,  he  said,  main- 
tained the  principle,  that  every  Christian  should,  at  least, 
devote  the  one-tenth  of  his  income  for  religious  pur- 
poses. I  asked  him  the  amount  of  the  minister's  sti* 
pend,  and  was  informed,  that  it  was  at  least  £450  per 
annum.  I  then  inquired,  if  his  minister  set  an  exam- 
ple to  his  hearers  by  acting  in  accordance  with  his  own 
principle,  and  if  it  was  a  fact  that  he  devoted  £45  per 
annum  to  religious  and  philanthropic  objects  ?  The 
reply  was,  "  1  am  sure  he  does  not."  "  To  what 
amount,  then,  does  he  contribute  for  such  purposes  ?" 
"  About  eight  or  ten  pounds  annually,  at  the  utmost." 
"  If  this  be  the  case,"  T  replied,  "  I  should  scarcely  have 
had  the  effrontery  to  inculcate  such  a  principle  upon 
others  ;  and  I  was  given  to  understand,  that,  in  this  case, 
the  discrepancy  between  his  conduct  and  the  principle 
admitted,  was  beginning  to  be  particularly  marked. 
Why  should  ministers,  particularly  those  who  have 
handsome  incomes,  consider  themselves  as  exceptions 
to  a  general  rule  ?  If  they  do  not  set  an  example  of 
liberality  in  their  conduct,  all  their  instructions  on  this 
point  will  go  for  nothing,  and  be  only  as  "  a  sounding 
brass  or  tinkling  cymbal." 


248       ON  THE  MEANS  TO  BE  EMPLOYED 


2.  Christian  churches  should  strictly  investigate  the 
conduct  of  their  members  in  relation  to  the  portion  of 
wealth  they  devote  to  religious  objects. 

Those  members  of  a  Christian  church  whose  in- 
comes are  generally  known,  and  who  are  remiss  on 
this  point,  ought  to  be  calmly  reasoned  with  as  to  their 
duty  in  this  respect,  on  scriptural  grounds,  and  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  principles  and  obligations  they  admit 
as  Christians.  And,  if  they  obstinately  resist  every 
argument  and  admonition  addressed  to  them,  and  re- 
fuse to  give  a  fair  proportion  of  their  substance  to  the 
service  of  Him  from  whom  they  derived  it,  they  ought 
to  be  suspended  from  the  peculiar  privileges  of  Christ- 
ian society.  The  church  of  Christ  has  undoubtedly  a 
right  to  take  cognizance  of  its  members,  as  to  this 
point,  as  well  as  when  they  are  chargeable  with  a  breach 
of  duty  in  any  other  respect,  or  found  guilty  of  a  di- 
rect violation  of  the  laws  of  God.  We  are  too  apt  to 
imagine,  (and  custom  has  too  long  sanctioned  the  opin- 
ion) that  the  censures  of  the  church  are  only  to  be  in- 
flicted on  those  who  are  guilty  of  w^hat  the  world  terms 
scandals;  and  many  professors  of  religion  are  thus 
led  to  consider  themselves  as  acting  a  dutiful  part  in 
Christian  society,  if  no  such  scandals  can  be  proved 
against  them.  But,  the  non-performance  of  duty  is 
equally  sinful,  and  as  regularly  denounced  in  scripture, 
as  the  direct  commission  of  vicious  actions.  "  If  thou 
forbear  to  deliver  them  that  are  drawn  unto  death,  and 
those  that  are  ready  to  be  slain;  doth  not  He  who 
pondereih  the  heart  consider  it?"  Whoso  hath  this 
world's  good,  and  seeth  his  brother  have  need,  and 
shutteth  up  his  bowels  of  compassion  from  him,  how 
dvvelleth  the  love  of  God  in  him.  The  unprofitable 
servant  who  hid  his  talent  in  the  earth,  is  not  accused  of 
drunkenness,  uncleanness,  licentiousness,  or  any  similar 
crime,  yet,  because  he  misimproved  the  talent  committed 
to  his  trust,  he  is  doomed  to  the  same  punishment  as  the 
most  flagrant  workers  of  iniquity.  "  Cast  ye  the  un- 
profitable servant  into  outer  darkness,  there  shall  be 


FOR  THE  COUNTERACTION  OF  COVET OUSXESS.      249 

weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth,"  It  is  by  the  regular 
performance  of  duty  more  than  by  freedom  from  vi- 
cious practices  that  the  reality  of  Christian  principle  is 
displayed.  There  is  perhaps  nothing  that  brings  a 
man's  Christian  character  to  a  more  decisive  test,  both 
to  his  own  conscience,  and  in  the  eyes  of  others  than  the 
circumstance  of  his  voluntary  and  perseveringly  devot- 
ing a  fair  proportion  of  his  wealth  to  the  senice  of  God, 
and  the  benefit  of  mankind.  A  worldly  minded  man 
may  continue  for  a  considerable  time  to  attend  Divine 
ordinances,  and  make  a  fair  profession  of  religion, 
wliile  no  regular  demands  are  made  upon  his  purse ; 
but,  were  he  called  upon  to  contribute  regularly,  at 
least  the  tenth  part  of  his  income,  it  is  more  than  prob- 
able he  would  display  the  latent  avarice  of  his  heart 
by  mustering  up  a  host  of  carnal  arguments  against 
such  a  demand,  and  would  soon  take  his  station,  where 
he  ought  to  be,  among  the  men  of  the  world.  But,  if 
a  man  of  wealth  devote  one-third,  one-fourth,  or  even 
one-tenth  of  his  riches  to  the  cause  of  God  and  religion, 
and  act  a  consistent  part  in  other  respects,  a  Christ- 
ian church  possesses,  perhaps,  the  most  tangible  evi- 
dence they  can  demand  cf  such  a  man's  religious  prin- 
ciple. 

There  is  a  certain  false  delicacy  which  some  religious 
comm.unities  seem  to  feel  in  meddling  with  the  pecu- 
niary affairs  or  allotments  of  individuals,  and  especially 
of  those  who  are  wealthy,  or  who  move  in  the  higher 
spheres  of  society.  They  are  afraid  lest  the  pride  of 
such  persons  should  be  hurt  by  such  plain  dealing — 
lest  they  should  fly  off  at  a  tangent  from  their  commu- 
nity, and  lest  the  funds  of  their  society  should  be  injur- 
ed by  their  withdrawment.  But,  although  it  is  proper 
to  use  the  greatest  prudence  and  delicacy  in  such  mat- 
ters, yet,  if  such  persons  refuse  to  listen  to  calm  rea- 
soning and  scriptural  arguments  and  admonitions,  they 
give  evidence  of  a  spirit  which  is  inconsistent  with 
Christian  principle  ;  and  it  is  no  honor  to  any  church  to 
have  such  enrolled  among  the  number  of  its  members. 
A  church  of  Christ  is  a  society  whose  members  are 


250       ON  THE  MEANS  TO  BE  EMPLOYED 

animated  by  holy  principles  and  affections ;  but  most 
of  our  churches  require  to  be  sifted  and  purified — to  be 
purified  from  the  communion  of  those  who  are  actua- 
ted by  a  worldly  spirit,  and  who  have  little  more  of  re- 
ligion than  the  name  ;  and,  I  know  no  better  external 
test  that  could  be  applied  for  this  purpose,  than  that 
"which  is  stated  above.  A  church  composed  of  eighty 
"  right-hearted  "  Christian  men,  generous,  ardent,  har- 
monious, and  persevering  in  their  efforts  to  promote 
the  extension  of  Messiah's  kingdom,  would  do  far  more 
to  advance  the  interests  of  true  religion,  than  if  they 
were  mixed  up  with  500  men  of  a  carnal  spirit,  who 
are  chiefly  guided  in  their  religious  professions  by  the 
opinions  of  the  world.  Such  a  select  band  would 
move  onward  in  harmony  and  peace,  without  interrup- 
tion from  men  of  proud  and  carnal  dispositions,  "  their 
light  would  shine  before  men,"  and  others  would  "  take 
knowledge  of  them  that  they  had  been  with  Jesus," 
and  might  be  induced  to  follow  their  example  and  walk 
in  their  steps. 

As  Christian  churches  should  be  zealous  in  inculca- 
ting the  duty  of  liberality,  so  they  ought  to  take  special 
cognizance  of  acts,  and  general  conduct,  which  display 
a  spirit  of  avarice. 

When  a  church  member  has  been  found  guilty  of  un- 
cleanness,of  an  act  of  drunkenness  or  of  pilfering  an  arti- 
cle from  his  neighbor,  a  hue  and  cry  is  instantly  raised  ; 
and  he  is  separated  from  the  society,  or  at  least,  brought 
under  the  discipline  of  the  church.  And  the  purity  of 
Christian  communion  requires  that  censure  should  be  in- 
flicted on  all  such  delinquencies,  and  the  offender,  if  pos- 
sible, brought  to  a  sense  of  his  guilt,  and  to  the  exercise 
of  repentance.  But,  it  is  not  a  little  strange  and  unac- 
countable, that  while  strict  attention  is  paid  to  such  in- 
sulated acts  of  moral  delinquency,  which  in  some  in- 
stances, are  only  exceptions  to  the  general  character  of 
the  individuals,  and  not  habits  of  vice  ;  men  should  be 
permitted  to  remain  in  the  church,  without  the  least 
censure  or  admonition,  who  are  guilty  not  only  of  acts 


FOR  THE  COUNTERACTION  OF  COVETOUSNESS.      251 

which  indicate  the  predominance  of  avarice,  but  go  on 
in  a  systematic  course  of  such  conduct.  Ahhough 
there  is  scarcely  any  thing  that  so  clearly  designates 
the  character  of  an  individual,  as  habitual  avarice,  yet 
in  many  cases,  it  is  scarcely  considered  as  a  scandal, 
because  general  society  is  disposed  to  wink  at  it — as  if 
an  avaricious  Christian  were  not  a  contradiction  in 
terms. 

For  example,  a  member  of  a  church  becomes  bank- 
rupt and  compounds  with  his  creditors,  some  of  whom 
are  poor  people,  for  seven  shillings  in  the  pound.  He 
resumes  business,  lives  as  luxuriously  as  formerly  ;  and, 
in  the  course  of  eight  or  nine  years,  purchases  proper- 
ty and  enlarges  his  domestic  establishment ;  but  never 
thinks  of  paying  off  even  a  fraction  of  his  former 
debts,  because  he  knows  that  the  civil  law  cannot 
compel  him.  Yet,  he  may  hold  his  states  in  Christian 
society,  and  even  in  churches  that  profess  a  peculiar 
strictness  as  to  Christian  communion.  Take  another 
example  :  A  person  w^ho  enjoyed  a  lucrative  trade, 
and  who  was  known  to  be  possessed  of  a  certain  por- 
tion of  property  or  weahh,  went  to  a  friend,  when  ly- 
ing on  her  death-bed,  in  the  absence  of  her  husband ; 
and,  instead  of  conversing  with  her  on  the  important 
realities  of  religion  and  the  eternal  world — endeavored 
to  inveigle  her  to  subscribe  an  instrument,  conveying  to 
his  family  the  whole  oPher  property  ;  which  would 
have  reduced  her  husband  to  something  approaching  to 
absolute  poverty,  although  they  were  all  members  of  the 
same  religious  community.  What  shall  ^\e  think  of 
such  a  person  going  from  one  attorney  to  another,*  to 

*  A  friend  of  mine  lately  informed  me,  that  when  conversing  with  a 
young  lawyer  of  an  upright  disposition,  on  a  late  occasion,  he  remark- 
ed to  him,  "that  he  had  never  been  so  deeply  impressed  with  the  evil 
dispositions  which  abound  in  society,  as  since  he  commenced  business 
as  a  legal  practitioner.  He  had  been  applied  to  by  persons  of  all 
ranks,  and  of  almost  oM  religious  persj(asions—hy  persons  who  rank 
as  respectable  characters  in  society,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining 
whether,  by  any  legal  quirk  or  manoeuvre  they  could  manage  to  get 
wills  altered  or  cancelled,  and  deeds  and  contracts  broken  or  evaded,  in 
orderto  enrich  themselves  at  the  expense  of  others,  and  in  violation  of 
natural  justice."  So  little  moral  and  Christian  principle  is  yet  to  be  found 
even  in  religious  society ;  that  many  who  name  the  name  of  Christ, 


252        ON  THE  MEANS  TO  BE  EMPLOYED 

endeavor  to  ascertain,  whether  he  could  by  legal 
means,  inflict  an  act  of  injustice  on  his  Christian  friend 
and  brother,  and  rob  him  of  his  worldly  substance,  and 
so  far  as  in  his  power,  reduce  him  to  a  state  of  indi- 
gence ?  Or,  what  shall  we  think  of  one  who  has  a 
flourishing  business,  in  conjunction  with  a  certain  de- 
gree of  wealth,  who  is  extremely  fastidious  about  cer- 
tain disputed  points  of  religion,  and  who  assumes  an 
air  of  peculiar  sanctity,  yet  will  condescend,  in  the 
regular  course  of  trade,  to  sell  over  his  counter  gills  of 
ardent  spirits  to  emaciated  and  debauched  females  and 
others,  merely  for  the  sake  of  the  paltry  gains  which 
such  a  demoralizing  practice  procures  ? 

The  instances  of  avarice,  as  displayed  among  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  church,  are  so  numerous,  that  vol- 
umes might  be  filled  with  the  details.  What  should 
we  think  of  a  clergyman  selling  a  quantity  of  victuals 
to  a  baker ;  and  finding  immediately  afterwards,  that 
prices  were  rising,  importuned  the  purchaser  to  give  up 
the  bargain,  under  pretence  of  his  requiring  the  whole 
of  it  for  seed — which  was  no  sooner  done  than  he  im- 
mediately sold  it  for  an  advance  of  several  pounds  ? 
What  should  we  think  of  the  same  individual  receiving 
from  a  friend  an  article  of  dress,  and  immediately  oflfer- 
ing  it  for  sale  to  gratify  his  disposition  for  hoarding? 
pilfering  quantities  of  nails  from  the  workmen  employ- 
ed on  his  premises — cheapening  e\eYWdiYi\Q\e  he  intended 
to  purchase,  tilj  he  could  acquire  it,  if  possible,  at  half  its 
value,  and  manifesting  duplicity  and  falsehood  in  many 
of  his  transactions  1  Yet,  although  such  conduct  was 
somevvhat  notorious,  and  even  talked  over  throughout 
all  the  country  around,  no  public  notice  w^as  ever  taken 
of  it  by  the  judicatories  of  the  church  to  which  he  be- 
longed. 

Many  who  make  the  most  glaring  profession  of  reli- 
gion and  are  extremely  fastidious  in  respect  to  evangel- 
think  all  is  right,  if  the  civil  law  cannot  interpose  to  punish  their  deceitful 
and  nefarious  practices.  A  gentleman  who  is  an  elder  in  a  Presbyteri- 
an church,  lately  averred  to  me,  in  strong  language  "that  no"  man 
should  be  considered  as  acting  improperly  or  cnchristianly,  if  he  acted 
in  accordance  \y\i\M\\t  civil  law." 


i 


FOR  THE  COUNTERACTION  OF  COVETOUSNESS.      253 

ical  views  and  orthodox  opinions,  are  not  unfrequently 
distinguished  by  selfish  and  avaricious  dispositions. 
There  would  be  no  end  in  specifying  all  the  particu- 
lar instances,  and  circumstances  connected  with  the 
manifestation  of  covetousness,  even  by  persons  who 
are  continually  talking  about  union  with  Christ,  spirit- 
ual mindedness,  and  their  own  and  others  conversions. 
Some  of  these,  and  I  state  it  with  deep  reluctance  and 
regret,  have  been  known,  on  many  occasions,  to  prac- 
tice duplicity  and  deceit  in  many  of  their  dealings,  in 
order  to  secure  a  good  bargain  or  an  extraordinary 
profit — to  traduce  the  characters  of  their  brethren  in 
order  to  gain  a  lucrative  situation — to  injure  most  seri- 
ously the  pecuniary  interests  of  others  by  not  fulfilling 
a  verbal  agreement,  because  the  civil  law  could  not 
compel  them — to  rob  the  widow  and  the  fatherless,  un- 
der the  pretence  of  legal  right  and  powder — to  conde- 
scend to  every  low  and  squeezing  means  of  deriving 
profits,  and  increasing  their  riches — to  deny  contracts 
and  obligations,  when  they  could  not  be  legally  proved 
— and,  when  solicited  to  contribute  to  a  religious  or 
philanthropic  object,  have  either  refused  with  a  sneer, 
or  a  shuflling  promise,  or  bestowed  with  a  grudge  the 
most  insignificant  sum.  Now,  it  is  not  a  little  unac- 
countable, that  such  practices  should  be  overlooked, 
especially  by  Christian  communities  that  profess  a 
strict  adherence  to  the  principles  and  precepts  of  the 
New  Testament.  Yet  it  is  a  fact,  that  all  the  cases  I 
have  now  stated,  or  alluded  to — although  some  of  them 
excited  the  attention  and  reprobation  of  a  few  individ- 
uals, were  never  thought  worthy  of  being  brought  un- 
der the  discipline  of  the  church.  There  is  an  indiffer- 
ence, and  a  bluntness  of  moral  perception  among  the 
members  of  many  Christian  societies,  which  prevents 
them  from  perceiving  the  malignity  and  unscriptural 
character  of  such  dispositions  and  practices,  because 
they  are  not  generally  considered  as  scandals  by  the 
world  around  them.  But,  if  we  wish  to  preserve  pu- 
rity in  the  church,  to  promote  the  extension  of  Christ- 
ianity, to  undermine  the  spirit  of  avarice  and  to  encour- 
age a  principle  of  Christian  generosity — it  becomes  re- 
22 


254       ON  THE  MEANS  TO  BE  EMPLOYED 

ligious  societies  to  look  more  narrowly  into  the  disposi- 
tions and  practices  of  their  members,  and  by  every 
scriptural  means,  to  endeavor  to  wipe  away  the  dis- 
grace which  has  been  cast  on  our  holy  religion,  by  the 
worldly  niindedness  of  those  who  "  have  crept  in  una- 
wares "  into  the  bosom  of  the  church. 


3.  The  churches  of  Christ  should  now  begin  to  dis- 
tinguish themselves  from  other  societies,  hy  exhibiting 
to  the  iDorld  such  displays  of  liberality  as  Christianity 
requires. 

If  we  ever  expect  to  behold  society  advancing  in 
its  progress,  the  knowledge  of  Divine  truth  rapidly  ex- 
tending through  the  world,  and  a  noble  generosity,  in 
respect  of  money,  displayed  for  accomplishing  such 
purposes ;  it  is  to  the  church  we  must  look  in  the  first 
instance,  to  set  an  examj)le,  to  all  others,  of  its  disinter- 
ested and  God-like  liberality.  The  true  church  is  "  a 
city  set  upon  an  hill ;"  it  is  an  object  of  attention,  and 
minutely  surveyed  by  surrounding  spectators,  many  of 
whom  have  their  eyes  directed,  so  as  to  mark  its  defects, 
and  to  expose  the  conduct  of  its  citizens  to  public  view. 
According  to  the  aspect  it  presents,  and  the  virtues  or 
vices  displayed  by  those  who  enjoy  its  privileges,  will 
be  the  opinion  formed  by  those  who  are  without  its 
pale,  and  who  may  wish  to  enrol  themselves  among  the 
number  of  its  citizens.  It  is  therefore,  incumbent 
upon  every  one  of  them,  that  they  "  let  their  light  so 
shine  before  men,  that  others  may  see  their  good  works 
and  glorify  their  Father  who  is  in  heaven."  If  its 
light  shine  with  brilliancy,  it  will  attract  the  eyes  of 
surrounding  spectators ;  if  the  heavenly  virtues  of  its 
citizens  are  conspicuous,  and  uniformly  displayed  in  all 
their  actions  and  arrangements,  it  will  have  a  tendency 
to  lead  them  to  inquire  into  their  principles  and  to  join 
their  society.  Now,  this  virtue  of  Christian  liberality 
is  perhaps  one  of  the  most  visible  and  tangible  modes 
by  which  the  light  and  efficacy  of  heavenly  truth  are 
made  manifest  to  all.     In  the  display  of  this  virtue. 


FOR  THE  COUNTERACTION  OF  COVETOFSNESS.   255 

hypocrisy  cannot  continue  long  to  wear  the  veil.  A 
worldly  minded  man  may  be  induced,  in  an  instance 
or  two,  to  make  a  display  of  generosity  for  the  sake  of 
character ;  but  his  ruling  principles  will  soon  induce 
him  to  muster  up  numerous  arguments  against  the  con- 
tinuance of  such  exertions,  and  to  retire  from  the  field 
of  Christian  benevolence.  Other  virtues  and  displays 
of  religious  principle,  may  sometimes  be  construed  into 
superstition  or  fanaticism ;  but  a  perseverance  in  the 
path  of  Christian  hberality,  and  a  visible  exhibition  to 
the  world  of  its  benignant  and  extensive  effects,  can 
scarcely  be  imputed  to  such  causes,  but  to  the  influ- 
ence of  higher  principles  which  have  been  impressed 
with  powerful  conviction  upon  the  mind.  And  I  am 
strongly  convinced,  that  Christianity  will  never  make  a 
powei'ful  and  universal  impression  upon  the  inhabitants 
of  any  land,  till  its  beneficent  effects  be  thus  visibly  dis- 
played in  the  conduct  of  those  who  profess  an  adher- 
ence to  its  cause.  So  long  as  selfishness  and  worldly 
mindedness  are  displayed  by  the  majority  of  its  pro- 
fessors, so  long  as  many  of  its  ministers  are  beheld  as- 
piring after  its  w^ealth  and  emoluments  more  than  after 
the  performance  of  its  duties,  it  will  continue  to  be 
despised  by  those  whose  hearts  have  never  been 
brought  under  its  influence. 

In  order  to  induce  Christians  to  come  forward  and 
display  their  liberahty  on  a  larger  scale  than  they  have 
ever  yet  done,  I  shall  lay  before  them  a  few  recent  in- 
stances of  generosity  in  promoting  the  cause  of  learn- 
mg  and  religion,  which  I  trust,  will  prove  a  stimulus  to 
those  on  whom  God  has  bestowed  riches  and  afliuence, 
to  "go  and  do  likewise."  Some  of  the  following  state- 
ments are  taken  from  Drs.  Reed  and  Matheson's 
"  Narrative  of  a  visit  to  the  American  Churches." 

Grenville  is  a  small  town  which  is  considered  as 
wholly  religious.  The  settlement  was  formed  by  a 
party  of  ninety  persons  from  New  England.  On  ar- 
riving at  this  spot,  they  gave  themselves  to  prayer  that 
they  might  be  directed  in  choosing  their  resting  place 
in  the  wilderness,  and  enjoy  the  blessing  of  God.  At 
first  they  rested  with  their  little  ones  in  their  wagons, 


256       ON  THE  MEANS  TO  BE  EMPLOYED 

and  the  first  permanent  building  they  erected  was  a 
church  for  Divine  worship.  The  people  retain  the  sim- 
ple and  pious  manners  of  their  fathers.  They  all  go 
to  church  ;  and  there  are  400  in  a  state  of  communion^ 
They  give  a  thousand  dollars  a  year  to  religious  insti- 
tutions. One  plain  man,  who  has  never  allowed  him- 
self the  luxury  of  a  set  of  fire  irons,  besides  what  he 
does  at  home,  gives  a  hundr^ed  dollars  a  year  to  religious 
objects.  In  this  settlement,  the  drunkard,  the  fornica- 
tor, and  the  sabbath-breaker  are  not  found  ;  and,  what 
is  yet  better,  in  the  last  report,  there  was  only  one  fam- 
ily that  had  not  domestic  worship."*  In  this  instance 
we  behold  a  select  band  of  Christian  men  voluntarily 
devoting  their  wealth  to  the  cause  of  God  ;  and  as  an 
evidence  of  the  effect  of  such  a  principle,  almost  the 
whole  community  is  distinguished  for  the  practice  of 
Christian  virtues. 

The  Theological  Seminary  at  Andover,  which  con- 
tains a  chapel,  a  set  of  elegant  and  commodious  build- 
ings a  philosophical  apparatus,  a  library  of  1 1,000  vol- 
umes, and  embracing  a  portion  of  land  of  150  acres, 
was  founded  not  many  years  ago,  at  the  suggestion  of 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Spring,  father  of  the  Rev,  Dr.  Spring  of 
New  York,  in  concert  with  Messrs.  Bartlett  and  Brown. 
When  they  met  to  engage  in  free  conversation  on  the 
subject,  and  had  considered  the  nature  of  the  object  to 
be  accomphshed,  "Well,"  said  Mr.  Brown,  "I  will 
give  1 0,000  dollars."  "  Why,"  said  Mr.  Bartlett,  "  did 
you  not  say  20,000,  and  I  would  too."  Dr.  Spring 
went  to  Salem,  and  saw  his  friend  Mr.  Norris  there, 
told  him  what  it  was  proposed  to  do,  and  obtained 
another  ten  thousand  dollars,  and  thus  the  work  pro- 
ceeded. Mr.  Bartlett,  in  addition  to  his  first  gift,  built 
the  chapel  connected  with  the  Institution,  which  cost 
50,000  dollars,  afterwards  one  of  the  wings  and  seve- 
ral houses  for  the  professors,  as  well  as  endowed  seve- 
ral professorships.  It  is  thought,  that  in  several  ways 
he  has  given  to  this  object  not  less  than  200,000  dol- 
lars, (about  £45,  000,)  and  there  is  reason  to  believe, 

♦Narrative  vol. i.  pp.  168, 169. 


FOR  THE  COUNTERACTION  OF  COVETOUSNESS.      257 

that  all  his  benevolent  intentions  are  not  yet  fulfilled."* 
Here  is  an  example  of  truly  Christian  liberality  which 
deserves  to  be  imitated  by  our  wealthy  professors  of 
religion.  Had  we  only  a  thousand  Christian  men  such 
as  5lr.  Bartlett  among  us,  we  might  raise  fifty  millions 
of  pounds  from  them  in  the  course  of  a  few  years ; 
and  what  immense  benefits  might  thus  be  conferred  on 
mankind.  Mr.  Bartlett,  however,  did  not  receive  this 
wealth  by  inheritance,  but  by  his  own  energies.  He 
was  first  a  shoe-maker  in  Newbur)%  and  became,  in  the 
end,  for  talents  and  success,  a  first  rate  merchant.  He 
occupies  a  good  house,  but  lives  in  a  very  plain  style, 
and  has  evidently  more  pleasure  in  bestowing  than  in 
consuming  his  property.''^  And  is  it  reasonable  to 
suppose,  that  this  gentleman  is  less  happy  than  others, 
because  he  has  parted  with  so  great  a  proportion  of 
his  wealth  for  the  good  of  mankind  ?  On  the  contrary', 
I  am  certain,  he  enjoys  a  serenity  of  mind,  and  a  satis- 
faction infinitely  superior  to  the  grovelling  mortab,  who 
either  hoard  their  wealth  for  no  useful  purpose,  or  who 
waste  it  in  gratifying  a  taste  for  worldly  splendor  and 
extravagance. 

After  a  revival  in  a  church  in  Geneva,  State  of  New 
York,  in  1830,  it  is  remarked  that  the  appropriations 
of  religious  charity  were  nearly  doubled  the  succeed- 
ing year.  That  church  sustains  one  foreign  missiona- 
ry, at  an  expense  of  666  dollars — thirteen  home  mis- 
sionaries, at  one  hundred  dollars  each — nine  scholar- 
ships of  the  American  Education  Society,  at  75  dol- 
lars each  ;  which,  in  addition  to  the  appropriations  for 
the  Bible,  Tract,  Sabbath  school,  and  other  objects  of 
benevolence,  amounts  to  more  than  4500  dollars,  du- 
ring the  first  year.  J  This  fact  demonstrates,  what  we 
have  already  alluded  to,  that  wherever  the  principles 
of  true  religion  and  sterling  piety  take  a  thorough  pos- 
session of  the  mind,  they  lead  to  acts  of  noble  gene- 
rosity ;  and  that  a  perseverance  in  such  conduct,  is  one 

*     Reed's  Narrative,  &c.  vol.  i.  pp.  435—6. 

t     lb  id.  p.  4SS. 

t    lb  id.  vol.  ii.  p.  19. 

22* 


258       ON  THE  MEANS  TO  BE  EMPLOYED 

of  the  strongest  proofs  of  the  power  of  rehgion  upon 
the  heart. 

At  Dorchester,  a  village  six  miles  from  Boston,  Dr. 
Reed  observes,  "  there  are  Sabbath  schools  and  an 
Academy  for  superior  education.  The  ignorant  are 
taught,  the  sick  find  medicine  and  sympathy,  and  the 
poor  are  promoted  to  adopt  methods  of  domestic  thrift 
and  decency.  The  whole  village  presents  an  example 
of  the  effect  of  religion,  so  administered.  No  children 
are  left  to  grow  up  in  ignorance  ;  few  persons  abstain 
from  a  place  of  worship ;  and  here,  where  every  thing 
else  is  on  a  small  scale,  the  schools  and  churches  as- 
sume an  imposing  character."  How  many  villages  of 
this  description  can  be  pointed  out  in  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland  ?  and  is  it  not  owing  to  our  apathy  and  ava- 
rice, that  so  few  scenes  of  this  description  should  meet 
our  eye  ? 

"  I  know  of  no  country,"  says  Dr.  Reed,  "  where 
ther^re  more  examples  of  beneficence  and  magnifi- 
cenc<y[than  in  America.]  The  rich  will  act  nobly  out 
of  their  abundance,  and  the  poor  will  act  as  nobly  out 
of  their  penury.  There  are  refreshing  instances  of 
individuals  sustaining  schools,  professorships,  missiona- 
ries, and  evangelists.  Ministers  are  repeatedly  making 
movements,  in  which  it  was  evident  that  every  thing 
was  to  be  sacrificed  to  usefulness.  I  have  seen  the 
pastor,  at  sixty,  beloved  and  happy  in  his  people,  give 
up  all  to  go  forth  into  the  wilderness,  because  he 
thought  that  his  example  more  than  his  labors,  might 
bless  the  West, — while  the  church  has  been  as  ready 
to  relinquish  him,  though  with  tears,  when  she  has 
been  satisfied  that  it  was  for  the  good  of  the  church 
catholic.  I  have  seen  a  band  of  students,  careless  of 
ease  and  reputation  at  home,  forsake  the  college  at 
which  they  had  passed  with  honor,  and  covenant  to  go 
forth  together,  some  2000  miles  to  rear  a  kindred  insti- 
tution in  the  desert.  And  I  have  seen  the  aged  man 
kindle  at  their  enthusiasm  and  support  them  with  his 
purse,  when  unable  to  be  their  companion.* 

*  "  Narrative,"  &c.  vol  ii.  p.  282.    While  returning  thanks  to  Drs. 
Reed  and  Matheson  for  the  entertainment  and  the  valuable  inform  a- 


FOR  THE  COUNTERACTION  OF  COVETOUSNESS.   259 

As  an  evidence  of  the  liberality  displayed  in  the 
Northern  States  of  America,  there  are  no  less  than 
twenty-one  Theological  colleges,  all  of  which  have 
been  instituted  since  the  year  1808  ;  they  contain  853 
students,  and  have  accumulated  57,000  volumes. 
There  are  seventy-five  colleges  for  general  education, 
most  of  them  with  professional  departments ;  and  they 
have  8136  students;  and  forty  of  these  have  been 
erected  since  1814.  Altogether  there  are  ninety-six 
colleges  and  9032  students.  In  the  state  of  NewYork 
alone,  besides  all  the  private  seminaries,  there  are  9600 
schools  sustained  at  a  yearly  expense  of  1,126,482 
dollars !  Most  of  the  above  mentioned  seminaries, 
with  the  stately  edifices  connected  with  them,  have 
been  reared  and  estabhshed  by  voluntary  donations. 
The  "  American  Sunday  School  Union  "  is  likewise  a 
noble  example  of  Christian  activity  and  beneficence. 
In  1832,  the  eighth  year  of  its  existence,  it  had  790 
auxiliaries;  9187  schools  were  in  connection,  having 
542,420  scholars  and  80,913  teachers.  The  expendi- 
ture for  that  year  was  117,703  dollars  : — For  1833,  it 
was  136,855.  The  most  vigorous  efforts  of  this  socie- 
ty have  been  directed  to  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi. 
In  1830,  it  was  resolved  unanimously, — "That  in  reli- 
ance upon  Divine  aid,  they  would  endeavor  within  two 
years  to  establish  a  Sunday  School  in  every  destitute 
place  where  it  is  practical,  throughout  the  valley  of 
Mississippi,"  that  is,  over  a  country  which  is  1200  miles 
wide,  and  2400  in  length.  There  are  thirty-six  agents 
wholly  employed  in  this  service  ;  and,  during  1833,  they 
established  500  schools  and  revived  a  thousand. 


tion  which  their  "  Narrative  "  affords — the  writer  of  this  cannot  but  ex- 
press his  regret  that  their  work  was  not  published  in  a  more  economical 
style.  Had  it  been  published,  as  it  might  have  been,  at  half  its  present 
price,  and  comprised  in  two  neat  12  mo.  volumes,  it  would  have  been 
purchased  by  three  times  the  number,  and  have  been  read  by  ten  times  the 
number  of  individuals  who  will  belikely  to  peruse  it  in  its  present  state. 
The  price  of  such  books  prevents  their  being  generally  read  by  the  mass 
of  Christian  society,  and  consequently  forms  a  barrier  to  the  general 
diffusion  of  knowledge.  Has  covetousness,  on  the  part  of  the  publish- 
ers any  share  in  this  matter  1 


260       ON  THE  MEANS  TO  BE  EMPLOYED 

The  following  examples  of  covetousness  and  liberal- 
ity are  extracted  from  an  American  periodical  entitled, 
"The  Missionary,"  for  May  2,  1835  ;  published  at  the 
Missionary  Press,  Burlington,  New  Jersey,  by  members 
of  the  American  Episcopal  Church. 

"  A  gentleman  having  called,  the  preceding  autumn, 
to  obtain  aid  for  hiring  a  missionary  in  Tennessee,  I 
thought  I  would  go  and  introduce  him  to  our  congrega- 
tion ;  and  we  called  first  on  Squire  L ,  as  he  is 

the  richest  man  in  town,  although  I  had  little  hope  of 
success  from  that  quarter.  He  put  us  off,  as  usual, 
with  an  account  of  his  numerous  family  expenses,  the 
frequent  calls  upon  him  for  money,  the  duty  of  seeing 
our  own  church  free  from  debt,  and  our  clergyman  well 
provided  for,  before  we  assisted  others,  and  concluded 
with  his  old,  thread-bare  proverb,  "  Charity  begins  at 

home"     We  then  called  on  his  neighbor,  Mr.  S , 

a  man  of  considerable  wealth,  and  no  children  to  in- 
herit it.  He  read  the  paper,  said  it  was  a  deserving 
object,  but  that  he  felt  too  poor  to  contribute.  He  col- 
ored slightly,  as  he  said  this,  and  then,  as  if  ashamed  to 
give  nothing,  and  anxious  to  rid  himself  of  such  troub- 
lesome visitants,  handed  us  25  cents,  (two  shillings,)  and 
we  took  our  leave.  We  met  with  various  success ; 
some  gave  cheerfully,  and  liberally  ;  others  grudgingly, 
and  not  a  few  declined  altogether.     Our  last  call  was 

on  Mr.  R ,  the  shoemaker  ;    we  found  him,  as  I 

expected,  busily  engaged  at  his  work.  He  received 
us  kindly,  made  inquiries  about  the  state  of  the  church 
in  Tennessee,  which  showed  that  he  felt  a  lively  inter- 
est in  the  subject,  lamented  his  inability  to  do  much, 
but  said,  he  would  do  something.  He  then  stepped 
into  the  house,  and  returned  immediately  with  two  dol- 
lars, which  he  begged  my  companion  to  accept  as  an 
expression  of  his  good  will.  Knowing  him  to  be  what 
is  called,  in  the  language  of  the  world,  a  poor  man, 
[though  in  gospel  phrase  he  is  eminently  rich ;]  I 
asked  him  how  he  contrived  to  subscribe  to  each  one 
of  our  benevolent  institutions,  to  take  a  weekly  reli- 
gious newspaper,  to  contribute  liberally  to  the  support 
of  our  clergyman,  and  yet  have  so  much  to  spare  for  a 


FOR  THE  COUNTERACTION  OF  COVETOUSNESS.      261 

distant  church  ?  He  told  me,  it  was  easily  done,  by 
obeying  St.  Paul's  precept  in  1  Cor.  xvi.  2.  In  other 
words,  he  was  systematically  charitable.  He  made  it 
a  point  of  duty  always  to  consecrate  a  portion  of  his 
weekly  income  to  the  Lord.  "  I  earn,"  said  he,  ''  one 
day  with  another,  about  a  dollar  a  day,  and  I  can, 
without  inconvenience  to  myself  or  family,  lay  by  five 
cents  of  this  sum  for  charitable  purposes ;  the  amount 
is  thirty  cents  a  week,  (half  a  crown.)  My  wife  takes 
in  sewing  and  washing,  and  earns  something  like  two 
dollars  a  week,  and  she  lays  by  ten  cents  of  that.  My 
children,  each  of  them  earn  a  shilling  or  two,  and  are 
glad  to  contribute  their  penny  ;  so  that  altogether,  we 
"  lay  by  us  in  store,''  forty-five  cents  a  week.  And,  if 
we  have  been  unusually  prospered,  we  contribute 
something  more.  The  weekly  amount  is  deposited 
every  Sunday  morning  in  a  box  kept  for  that  purpose, 
and  reserved  for  future  use.  Thus,  by  these  small 
savings,  we  have  learned,  that  it  is  more  blessed  to  give 
than  to  receive.  The  yearly  amount  saved  in  this  way 
is  about  twenty-five  dollars ;  and  I  distribute  this  among 
the  various  benevolent  societies,  according  to  the  best 
of  my  judgment."  Now  this  man  is  a  consistent 
Christian,  a  bright  example  of  Christian  benevolence. 
He  looks  upon  his  little  earnings  as  a  talent  lent  him  of 
God,  a  part  of  which  should  be  sacredly  appropriated 
to  his  service." 

In  the  same  "  Missionary  Tract,"  it  is  stated,  that  the 
Treasurer  of  the  "  Domestic  and  Foreign  Missionary 
Society,"  on  April  10th,  received  477  dollars  and  41 
cents,*  of  which  5  dollars  are  the  avails  of  needle  work 
hy  four  little  girls,  from  four  to  eleven  years  of  age, 
for  the  church  at  Jacksonville,  Illinois  ;  and  35  dollars 
from  the  Sunday  school  of  St.  Luke's  church,  New 
York  ;  15  of  them  in  redemption  of  a  pledge  for  the 
education  of  an  Indian  child,  named  Levi  Silliman  Ives, 
in  honor  of  their  former  rector,  now  the  excellent  bish- 
op of  North  Carolina. 


*  A  dollfir  is  equal  in  value  to  ftbout  four  shillings  and  six  pence,  and 
ce7it  to  one  half-penny  English. 


262        ON  THE  MEANS  TO  BE  EMPLOYED 

In  our  own  country,  we  have  likewise  many  char- 
acters, distinguished  for  Christian  beneficence.  Mr. 
John  Lloyd  of  Nelson  square,  London,  who  died  in 
June,  1835,  was  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  cause  of 
religion,  under  the  signature  L.  He  was  civil  engineer, 
employed  at  the  government  dock  yards.  He  retired 
from  business  four  years  before  his  death,  devoting  his 
large  fortune  to  the  gloiy  of  God,  and  the  good  of 
men,  both  at  home  and  abroad.  More  than  £12,000 
are  known  to  have  been  distributed  among  different 
societies  under  the  letter  L  ;  nor  was  he  unmindful 
of  them  in  his  will,  having  bequeathed  to  the  missiona- 
ry Society  £4000 ;  the  Home  Missionary  Society 
£4000  ;  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  £3000 ; 
Religious  Tract  Society  £3000  ;  the  Southwark  Sun- 
day School  Society  £1000;  Surry  Chapel  Benevo- 
lent Society  £1000  ;  the  Christ  church  Surry  School 
in  Marlborough  street,  £500  ;  the  London  Hibernian 
Society  £500  ;*  in  all  £29,000  !  What  an  example 
to  wealthy  Christians !  and  how  much  good  may  such 
an  individual  be  instrumental  in  communicating  to  the 
church  and  the  world  !  The  concealment  of  his  name 
in  the  numerous  donations  bestowed  in  his  life  time, 
arose  from  his  retiring  habits,  and  a  desire  "  not  to  let 
his  left  hand  know"  what  his  right  hand  did,"  and  a  hope 
that  others  would  follow  his  exam.ple. 

The  Rev.  Richard  Knill,  in  the  Evangelical  Maga- 
zine for  November,  1835,  mentions  a  Welsh  gentleman 
who  has  200  sovereigns  ready  to  be  given  for  introdu- 
cing more  of  the  piety  and  talent  of  our  churches  into 
the  w^ork  of  the  ministry  ;  and  a  minister,  once  a  stu- 
dent at  Homerton,  who  proposes  to  assist  four,  six,  or 
eight  students  in  their  preparatory  studies,  gratuitously. 
In  the  same  number  of  this  Magazine,  Mr.  Rathray  of 
Demarara,  mentions  that  the  negroes  are  beginning  to 
make  monthly  contributions  for  the  purchase  of  Bibles, 
and  other  religious  purposes,  and  that  their  first  month- 
ly collection  amounted  to  123  guilders,  or  £8  15s.  and 
that  they  make  a  point  of  giving  something  for  their 

f  See  Evan.  Mag.  for  August,  1835. 


FOR  THE  COUNTERACTION  OP  COVETOUSNESS.       263 

children.  A  woman,  says  Mr.  R.,  gave  me  3|d.  one 
day,  saying,  "  This  is  for  Jane,  a  child  about  two  years 
old  ;  I  give  with  the  other  people  for  Kitty  and  Yaha, 
when  we  gave  the  money  to  Jacob  ;  but  I  had  nothing 
to  give  for  Jane  ;  and,  Massa,  take  this  for  her."  This 
idea,  suggested  by  poor  negroes,  of  giving  a  sum  for 
every  child  of  the  family,  deserves  the  consideration 
and  imitation  of  thousands  of  those  who  are  better  in- 
structed, and  who  move  in  a  far  higher  grade  than  the 
despised  sons  of  Africa. 

The  name  of  Thomas  Wilson,  Esq.,  which  stands  in 
the  front  of  most  of  our  religious  and  philanthropic  in- 
stitutions, will  recall  to  the  mind  of  every  one  acquaint- 
ed with  that  respected  gentleman,  the  many  hundreds 
and  even  thousands  of  pounds  he  has  generously  devo- 
ted to  the  rearing  of  chapels,  to  missionary  and  other 
benevolent  purposes,  the  effects  of  which  wuli  be  felt 
and  appreciated  in  future  generations,  and  "  many  will 
rise  up  to  call  him  blessed."  For,  to  those  w^hom 
God  has  enlightened  in  the  knowledge  of  the  true  use 
of  wealth,  "  it  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive." 
In  addition  to  his  many  other  munificent  donations,  he 
has  lately  given  £100  to  the  New  Chapel,  Albany 
street,  London.  G.  F.  Agnes,  Esq.,  well  know^n  for 
his  benevolent  plans  and  exertions  to  promote  the  best 
interests  of  British  Seamen  both  at  home  and  abroad, 
has  likewise  distinguished  himself  by  his  liberal  contribu- 
tions to  various  religious  and  philanthropic  objects.  In 
addition  to  his  labors  and  donations  inbehalf  of  the  "Brit- 
ish and  Foreign  Sailor's  Society,"  and  as  a  member  of 
the  committee  of  the  New  Austrahan  Colonization  As- 
sociation," he  has  lately  subscribed  £50,  in  behalf  of 
the  mission  to  the  colony  to  be  planted  in  the  south 
western  quarter  of  New  Holland.*  Various  similar 
instances  of  British  generosity  might  be  stated  were  it 
expedient,  although  it  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  their 
number  is  so  small. 

It  is  one  of  the  hopeful  signs  of  our  times,  and  a  pre- 
lude that  "  God  is  about  to  appear  in  his  glory  to  men" 

*  Evan.  Mag.  for  Dec.  1835. 


264       ON  THE  MEANS  TO  BE  EMPLOYED 

— that  Christian  churches  and  congregations  are  now 
beginning  to  come  forward  with  far  more  liberahty, 
than  formerly,  in  the  cause  of  missions,  and  of  the  ex- 
tension of  religion  both  at  home  and  abroad.  The 
churches  under  the  inspection  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Brown 
and  Mr.  Gilchrist,  in  Edinburgh,  and  of  Drs.  Mitchell, 
Hough,  and  others  in  Glasgow,  have  lately  distinguish- 
ed themselves  by  raising  from  five  to  eight,  or  ten  hun- 
dred pounds  annually,  for  domestic  and  foreign  mis- 
sions, besides  affording  a  handsome  support  to  their 
respective  pastors.  The  church  under  the  pastoral 
care  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wardlaw,  Glasgow,  is  said  to 
have  raised  for  such  purposes,  during  last  year,  no  less 
than  £1700,  besides  supporting  their  pastor. 

Mr.  Williams,  missionary  from  the  South  Sea  Isl- 
ands, in  one  of  his  interesting  addresses  to  the  public, 
on  a  late  occasion,  stated,  that  a  certain  congregation 
in  England,  mentioned  to  him  with  a  certain  degree  of 
satisfaction,  as  if  it  had  been  a  great  and  unlooked  for 
effort,  that  they  had  raised  £50,  during  the  preceding 
year  for  missionary  and  other  purposes,  besides  main- 
taining the  gospel  among  themselves.  He  told  them, 
they  ought  to  do  much  more  ;  for  such  an  exertion  did 
not  amount  to  a  half  penny  a  week,  to  every  individu- 
al. They  began  to  bethink  themselves  on  the  subject, 
and  next  year  raised,  without  much  difficulty,  above 
four  hundred  pounds.  Mr.  Williams  also  stated,  that, 
at  a  late  public  breakfast,  in  a  certain  town  in  Eng- 
land, a  sum  of  nearly  £200  was  collected  in  a  few 
minutes,  from  a  very  limited  number  of  individuals — 
one  subscribing  £20,  another  £10,  another  £5,  &c. 
with  the  utmost  frankness  and  animation. 

The  following  experiment  in  behalf  of  missions,  de- 
serves attention,  and  might  be  tried,  in  reference  to 
any  philanthropic  object.  Mr.  Clayton,  of  Walworth, 
proposed  to  his  congregation,  that  a  thousand  of  them 
should  take  up  the  subject,  and  each  of  the  thousand 
subscribe  one  farthing  a  day  to  the  missionary  cause. 
This  was  recommended  to  be  done  immediately  after 
morning  prayer,  that  as  soon  as  they  rose  from  their 
knees,  they  might  make  an  offering  to  the  Lord  of  one 


TOR  THE  COUNTERACTION   OF   COVETOUSNESS.       265 

farthing.  This  will  raise  more  than  a  guinea  a  day, 
and  consequently,  more  than  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  guineas  a  year,  (or  £370  45.  2d.)  which  sum  would 
support  six  missionaries  in  the  South  Seas. 

Having  such  noble  examples  as  above  stated,  set  be- 
fore us.  Christians  of  eveiy  name  should  now  begin  to 
arouse  themselves  from  their  apathy  and  inordinate 
attachment  to  the  world,  and  to  consider  that  they  can- 
not bestow  their  wealth  on  a  more  honorable  and  im- 
portant object,  than  in  promoting  the  glory  of  God,  and 
the  best  interests  of  the  human  family,  wherever  they 
are  dispersed  over  the  surface  of  the  globe.  Were  such 
liberal  offerings  becoming  general  throughout  the  uni- 
versal church,  (and  why  should  they  not  ?)  we  might, 
ere  long,  have  the  near  prospect  of  beholding  the  light 
of  Divine  truth  irradiating  every  land,  the  moral  wil- 
derness turned  into  a  fruitful  field,  and  righteousness 
and  praise  springing  forth  before  all  the  nations. 

It  may  not,  perhaps,  be  improper  to  remark,  that  the 
contributions  of  Christians  should  not  be  chiefly  confi- 
ned to  missionary  purposes,  or  to  the  support  of  the 
stated  ordinances  of  the  gospel.  These  objects,  indeed, 
ought  to  be  supported,  with  far  more  liberality,  and 
carried  forward  with  more  vigor  than  they  have  hith- 
erto been.  But,  while  we  look  abroad  to  distant  tribes, 
and  provide  missionaries  for  their  instruction,  we  are 
sometimes  apt  to  forget  the  duty  we  owe  to  our  coun- 
trymen at  home  ;  and,  while  we  pay  some  attention  to 
the  religious  improvement  of  the  adult  population,  we 
too  frequently  overlook  the  rational  and  religious  in- 
struction of  the  young.  On  the  proper  moral  and  in- 
tellectual tuition  of  every  class  of  the  young,  from  two 
years  old  till  twenty,  the  whole  frame  of  civil  and 
Christian  society  almost  entirely  depends.  This  grand 
object  has  been  too  much  overlooked  in  all  our  Chris- 
tian and  philanthropic  arrangements ;  and  while  it  is 
so,  all  our  other  schemes  of  improvement  will  be  par- 
tially frustrated.  They  will  have  a  tendency  only  to 
lop  off  the  twigs  and  branches  of  immorality  and 
crime,  while  the  roots  of  evil  are  left  to  break  forth  in 
fresh  luxuriance.  Christian  society,  therefore,  should 
23 


266       ON  THE  MEANS  TO  BE  EMPLOYED 

not  rest  satisfied,  till  every  human  being,  from  two 
years  old  till  manhood,  be  brought  under  the  influence 
of  an  efficient  system  of  intellectual,  moral,  and  Chris- 
tian tuition,  both  in  our  own  country,  and,  so  far  as  our 
influence  extends,  in  other  lands  ;  and  a  very  consider- 
able, if  not  the  greatest  portion  of  our  Christian  contri- 
butions ought,  in  the  mean  time,  to  be  devoted  to  this 
object,  which  lies  at  the  foundation  of  all  those  arrange- 
ments which  are  calculated  to  introduce  the  expected 
millennium.  But,  as  I  have  already  adverted  to  this 
subject,  it  is  unnecessary  to  enlarge. 

4.  Associations  might  be  formed,  particularly  among 
Christians,  foi^  the  purpose  of  encouraging  liberality 
and  counteracting  avarice. 

As  the  spirit  of  covetousness  is  so  extensively  preva- 
lent, and  as  it  stands  as  a  barrier  to  every  noble  and 
Christian  enterprise,  no  means  should  be  left  unemploy- 
ed to  counteract  its  tendencies  and  effects.  And,  as 
Societies  have  been  formed  for  less  important  purpo- 
ses, there  appears  no  reason  why  an  Association  should 
not  be  entered  into  for  promoting  the  cause  of  Chris- 
tian liberality  and  beneficence.  Such  a  society  might 
be  composed  of  persons,  who  are  willing  to  devote  the 
one  tenth,  or  any  other  proportion  of  their  incomes  to 
philanthropic  objects.  Such  a  society,  if  it  could  be 
formed,  would  set  an  example  of  liberality  to  the 
church,  and  the  world  around  them,  and  might  prove 
a  stimulus  to  many,  who  might  not  otherwise  have 
thought  of  it,  to  devote  a  portion  of  their  superfluous 
wealth,  to  rational  and  religious  purposes.  It  might 
establish,  in  particular  districts,  systems  of  education 
on  new  and  improved  plans,  as  specimens  of  what  ought 
to  be  set  on  foot  for  the  improvement  of  society  in  ev- 
ery place.  It  might  purchase  barren  tracts  of  land, 
and  make  an-angements  for  their  cultivation  and  em- 
bellishment. It  might  rear  small  towns  and  villages, 
on  spacious  and  improved  plans,  with  every  requisite 
accommodation  and  embellishment,  and  calculated  for 
the  promotion  of  health,  convenience,  and  comfort.     It 


FOR  THE  COUNTERACTION  OF  COVETOUSNESS.   267 

might  provide  employment  for  the  industrious  poor, 
and  commence  new  enterprises  for  civilizing  and  chris- 
tianizing iTide  and  uncultivated  tribes,  whether  in  our 
own  country,  or  in  other  lands,  and  accompHsh  many 
other  objects  which  an  enlightened  benevolence  would 
readily  dictate.  The  frequent  publication  of  the  ope- 
rations of  such  a  society,  might  be  the  means  of  exci- 
ting the  attention  of  mankind  in  general  to  such  benefi- 
cent pursuits,  and  leading  to  the  promotion  of  similar 
associations. 

However  romantic  such  a  project  may  appear  to 
some,  I  have  no  doubt  that  there  are  hundreds  of  be- 
nevolent individuals  in  various  districts  of  our  own 
country,  who  would  rejoice  to  have  it  in  their  power  to 
co-operate  Avith  other  congenial  minds  in  promoting  the 
best  interests  of  their  fellow  creatures  in  the  above,  or 
in  any  other  niodes  that  a  rational  or  religious  mind 
might  devise — and  that  they  are  only  waiting  for  such 
openings,  in  order  to  give  vent  to  their  Christian  liber- 
ality. 

It  is  an  evil,  or  at  least,  a  defect,  in  many  of  our 
Christian  arrangements,  that,  in  the  first  instance,  we 
aim  too  high,  beginning  at  the  top  of  the  scale,  when 
we  should  commence  at  the  bottom.  This  is  the  case, 
when  our  attention  is  almost  solely  devoted  to  the  im- 
provement of  the  adult  population,  while  the  young  are, 
in  a  great  measure,  neglected ; — and  when  our  efibrts 
are  entirely  directed  to  the  promotion  of  the  spiritual 
interests  of  mankind,  while  their  temporal  comfort  is 
overlooked  or  disregarded.  We  have  hitherto,  laid 
too  much  stress  on  merely  preaching  the  gospel  to 
adults,  while  we  should  have  been  equally  active  in 
preparing  the  minds  of  the  young  for  the  reception  of 
Divine  truth,  by  all  the  rational  and  religious  arrange- 
ments which  Christian  wisdom  can  devise.  We  like- 
wise profess  great  zeal  for  the  spiritual  and  eternal  in- 
terests of  the  poor  ;  while  we,  not  unfrequently,  leave 
them  to  pass  their  existence  in  the  most  abject  hovels, 
and  to  pine  away  in  the  midst  of  filth,  penury,  and 
wretchedness. 

If  we  wish  that  they  may  appreciate  the  truths  of 


268     ON  THE  MEANS  TO  BE  EMPLOYED,  &C. 

religion,  we  must  endeavor,  at  the  same  time,  to  me- 
Korate  their  external  condition,  and  render  it  pleasant 
and  comfortable.  To  tell  a  poor  wretch  that  he  may- 
have  spiritual  blessings,  and  eternal  treasures,  by  com- 
ing to  Christ,  while  he  is  destitute  of  both  food  and 
clothing,  and  we  refuse  to  supply  his  wants  when  we 
have  it  in  our  power,  is  something  approaching  to  a 
species  of  insult.  By  endeavoring  to  meliorate  the 
condition  of  the  poor,  while  we  offer  them  Christian 
instruction,  we  prepare  the  way  for  the  reception  of 
Divine  truth.  For,  in  so  doing,  we  exhibit  a  visible 
proof  that  Christianity  is  a  beneficent  system,  and  tends 
to  promote  our  happiness,  both  in  the  life  which  now 
is,  and  in  the  life  to  come. 

Now,  such  societies  as  suggested  above,  while  they 
have  for  their  ultimate  object,  the  spiritual  and  eternal 
happiness  of  men,  might  be  instrumental  in  promoting 
the  external  comfort  of  all  ranks,  particularly  the  lower^ 
in  furnishing  them  with  employment,  in  providing  them 
with  comfortable  habitations,  in  securing  the  proper  in- 
struction of  their  families,  and  directing  them  in  such  a 
course  of  conduct  as  will  infallibly  lead  both  to  present 
and  future  enjoyment. 


CHAPTER   VIII 


CONSIDERATIONS  ADDRESSED  TO  PROFESSING  CHRISTIANS 
AND  OTHERS,  AS  TO  THEIR  AFFECTIONS  AND  CONDUCT 
IN  RELATION  TO  COVETOUSNESS. 

Having,  in  the  preceding  chapters,  embodied  a  vari- 
ety of  motives  and  considerations,  to  direct  the  views 
of  professing  Christians,  in  reference  to  this  subject,  it 
would  be  inexpedient  to  dwell  on  this  topic,  and  there- 
fore, I  shall  only  offer  a  few  additional  arguments  and 
considerations. 


I.  To  professing  Christians  in  general^  we  would 
call  attention  to  the  following  considerations. 

1.  Consider,  what  God  claims  the  Supreme  affection 
of  the  heart. 

He  is  possessed  of  every  attribute  calculated  to  ex- 
cite the  adoration  and  love  of  all  holy  intelligences. 
He  inhabits  eternity  and  immensity,  and  is  near  to  them 
who  fear  him,  and  hope  in  his  mercy.  His  power  and 
wisdom  gave  birth  to  the  innumerable  worlds  which  fill 
the  universe,  and  all  the  streams  of  happiness  which 
gladden  the  hearts  of  their  inhabitants,  flow  from  Him 
as  the  uncreated  source  of  felicity.  To  the  inhabitants 
of  this  lower  world,  he  has  displayed  his  love  and  mer- 
cy in  a  way  that  "passeth  comprehension" — in  the 
mission  of  his  Son  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  our  sal- 
vation— an  event  which  ought  to  draw  forth  our  high- 


270     CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  CHRISTIANS  AND  OTHERS, 

est  affection,  and  gratitude,  and  praise.  And  he  is 
"  daily  loading  us  with  his  benefits,  giving  us  rain  from 
heaven,  and  fruitful  seasons,  and  filling  our  hearts  with 
food  and  gladness." 

Hence  we  find  the  inspired  writers,  and  other  holy 
men,  expressing  their  emotions  in  such  language  as 
this : — "  The  Lord  is  my  portion,  saith  my  soul,  there- 
fore will  I  hope  in  Him  ;"  "  Whom  have  I  in  heaven, 
but  Thee,  and  there  is  none  upon  earth,  I  desire  in 
comparison  of  Thee.  Who  in  the  heaven  can  be  com- 
pared to  Jehovah  ?  who  among  the  sons  of  the  mighty, 
can  be  likened  unto  him  f ' 

Now,  this  supreme  affection  towards  God,  is  alto- 
gether inconsistent  and  incompatible  with  the  indul- 
gence of  a  principle  of  covetousness.  For,  such  an  af- 
fection ruling  supreme  in  the  heart,  virtually  deposes 
God  from  his  throne,  and  robs  him  of  the  glory  of  his 
perfections.  As  soon  may  we  expect  to  make  the 
north  and  the  south  points  of  the  firmament  to  meet  to- 
gether, or  the  light  of  the  heavenly  world  to  mingle 
with  the  darkness  of  the  infernal  pit,  as  to  reconcile  the 
service  of  God  and  mammon.  For,  while  the  true 
Christian,  in  all  his  movements,  privations,  and  afflic- 
tions, puts  his  confidence  in  God,  and  looks  up  to  Him 
as  his  portion  and  deliverer,  "  the  rich  man's  weahh  is 
his  strong  city,"  and  "  he  trusts  in  the  abundance  of  his 
riches."  The  one  joins  with  the  heavenly  host,  in  as- 
cribing "  wisdom  and  power,  and  glory,  and  thanksgiv- 
ing to  Him  who  sits  upon  the  throne  ;"  the  other  is  an 
idolater,  who  says  to  gold,  "  thou  art  my  hope,  and  to 
the  fine  gold,  thou  art  my  confidence,"  and  thus  in  ef- 
fect, "  denies  the  God  that  is  above." 

Let  Christians  meditate  deeply  on  this  important 
point,  and  consider  whether  their  affections  towards 
the  treasures  of  this  world  be  at  all  compatible  with 
supreme  love  to  their  God  and  Redeemer.  What  is  it 
that  conscience  tells  you  is  uppermost  in  your  hearts  ? 
What  are  among  your  first  thoughts  in  the  morning, 
and  your  last  in  the  evening  ?  What  is  it  that  gives 
you  most  pain,  the  loss  of  a  portion  of  your  wealth,  or 
the  apprehension  of  the  loss  of  the  Divine  favor  ?     Are 


AS  TO  THEIR   AFFECTIONS,    CONDUCT,    &C.         271 

your  desires  more  ardent  after  the  increase  of  riches 
than  after  the  treasure  in  heaven  that  fadeth  not,  and 
the  incorruptible  inheritance  that  shall  last  forever  ?  Is 
your  joy  greater  in  the  acquisition  of  riches  or  of  a 
great  estate,  than  in  the  consideration,  that  God  is  your 
Father,  and  your  everlasting  portion  ?  It  was  a  con- 
vincing evidence  of  Job's  heavenly  temper,  that  "  he 
did  not  rejoice  when  his  wealth  was  great,  and  his  hand 
had  gotten  him  much."  Are  you  affected  with  deeper 
sorrow,  when  3^ou  lose  your  substance,  than  when  you 
lose  the  benefit  of  Divine  instructions,  or  although  you 
were  to  lose  a  sense  of  the  mercy  of  God  ?  Would 
you  rather  be  stripped  of  all  your  earthly  possessions, 
and  go  naked  into  Paradise,  than  to  be  laden  with  gold 
and  jewels,  although  you  should  run  the  risk  of  falling 
into  the  pit  of  perdition  ?  Do  you  make  it  your  great 
and  ultimate  object  to  gain  riches  or  an  estate — rising 
early,  lying  down  late,  and  eating  the  bread  of  careful- 
ness ?  Do  you  grudge  your  families  the  necessary 
comforts  of  life,  and,  when  requested  to  devote  an  of- 
fering for  promoting  the  cause  of  religion,  and  the  ben- 
efit of  mankind,  do  you  bestow  it  with  a  grudge,  or 
with  the  spirit  of  a  cheerful  giver?  In  all  the  arrange- 
ments you  make  as  to  your  lot  in  this  world,  are  you 
chiefly  directed  by  the  prospect  of  worldly  honor  and 
gain,  or  by  the  opportunities  you  may  have  of  glorify- 
ing God,  and  being  useful  to  mankind  ?  If  you  regard 
God  as  your  supreme  portion,  and  the  rock  of  your 
salvation,  you  will  consider  all  that  you  have  as  too  ht- 
tle  to  be  consecrated  to  his  service,  and  will  make  the 
advancement  of  his  kingdom,  the  object  of  all  your  ar- 
rangements, and  will  come  cheerfully  forward  at  his 
call  to  contribute  for  this  end,  according  as  he  hath 
prospered  you,  saying  with  the  Psalmist,  "  What  shall 
I  render  unto  the  Lord,  for  all  his  benefits  towards 
me?" 

2.  Consider  the  obligations  you  are  under  to  Him 
who  procured  our  redemption. 

You  profess  as  Christians,  to  be  under  infinite  obli- 


272     CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  CHRISTIANS  AND  OTHERS, 

gations  to  the  mercy  and  love  of  our  Redeemer,  "  who 
died  and  rose  agahi,"  that  your  souls  might  be  rescued 
from  destruction.  You  profess  to  believe,  that  you 
were  "  redeemed  not  with  corruptible  things,  as  silver 
and  gold,  but  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ,"  and 
that  it  was  one  great  end  of  his  death,  that  "  you  might 
be  delivered  from  this  present  evil  world,  and  its  affec- 
tions and  lusts,"  and  consequently,  from  the  dominion 
of  covetousness,  which  is  the  ruling  passion  of  the  men 
of  the  world,  and  which  is  utterly  inconsistent  with  the 
character  of  the  redeemed.  While  you,  then,  virtual- 
ly acknowledge  these  truths,  can  you  allow  the  love  of 
the  world  to  predominate  in  your  hearts  1  Can  you 
think  it  a  hard  demand  that  God  makes  upon  you,  when 
he  requires  a  portion  of  the  wealth  which  he  himself 
has  bestowed,  to  be  devoted  to  the  extension  of  the 
Redeemer's  kingdom,  and  the  promotion  of  his  glory  ? 
He  might  accomplish  all  his  gracious  designs  without 
your  assistance ;  for  all  the  treasures  of  the  universe, 
are  at  his  disposal.  But  he  has  condescended  to  put 
an  honor  upon  Christians,  in  selecting  them  in  particu- 
lar, to  be  "  workers  together  with  Him,"  that  by  their 
voluatarij  and  liberal  oblations,  they  may  exhibit  them- 
selves in  the  face  of  the  world,  as  "  followers  of  the 
Lamb,"  and  contributors  to  "the  prosperity  of  Zion." 
Can  you,  then,  in  consistency  with  your  professions, 
refuse  to  come  forward  with  munificent  and  god-like 
offerings,  according  to  your  ability,  for  every  enterprise 
that  has  for  its  object,  the  promotion  of  the  Divine  glo- 
ry, and  the  present  and  everlasting  happiness  of  men  ? 
For,  it  is  by  such  conduct,  that  your  avarice,  or  your 
Christian  principle  will  be  detected.  The  latent  prin- 
ciple of  covetousness,  in  its  workings  in  the  heart, 
though  open  to  the  inspection  of  Omniscience,  cannot 
be  directly  traced  by  human  eyes. 

But,  if  you  be  hypocrites  in  religion,  your  hypocrisy 
will  be  laid  open,  and  your  true  character  determined 
by  your  refusing  to  contribute  to  the  service  of  God, 
what  is  in  your  power  to  bestow.  And  this  is  a  char- 
acteristic of  the  sense  we  entertain  of  our  obligations 


AS  TO  THEIR   AFFECTIONS,    CONDUCT,    &C.  273 

to  the  Redeemer,  which  ought  to  be  more  attended  to 
than  it  has  hitherto  been  in  the  visible  church. 

If,  then.  Christians  in  general,  and  especially  wealthy 
Christians,  admit  that  they  are  under  inexpressible  ob- 
ligations to  Him  "  who  came  in  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
to  save  them" — is  it  compatible  with  such  obligations, 
"  to  walk  according  to  the  course  of  this  world,"  and 
to  prevent,  by  their  niggardly  offerings,  the  gracious 
purposes  of  God,  from  being. brought  speedily  into  ef- 
fect ?  Tf  you  profess  to  celebrate  the  praises  of  Him, 
"  who  loved  us  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own 
blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God 
and  his  Father"— shall  you  consider  it  as  too  great  an 
expression  of  your  gratitude,  to  devote  a  hundred  or 
even  a  thousand  pounds,  at  a  time,  for  carr}ing  for- 
ward the  grand  design  of  the  death  of  Christ,  and  the 
regeneration  of  the  world — when  you  have  hundreds 
or  thousands  at  your  command  ?  If  God  were  calling 
you  to  devote  all  your  worldly  possessions  to  his  ser- 
vice, would  you  consider  it  as  too  great  a  sacrifice  for 
the  gift  bestowed  ?  If  not,  how  can  you  stand  aloof 
and  grudge  a  mere  titlie  of  your  earthly  estate,  when  it 
is  called  for  at  your  hands,  and  when  every  needful 
comfort  is  still  secured  for  your  enjoyment  ? 

Let  Christians  seriously  pause  on  sach  considerations, 
and  judge,  whether  the  general  conduct  of  professors 
of  religion,  in  regard  to  the  dedication  of  their  wealth, 
be  consistent  with  the  obligations  they  profess  to  Him 
who  hath  procured  for  them  all  spiritual  and  eternal 
blessings. 

3.  Consider  that  all  the  privileges  and  prospects  of 
Christians  are  incompatible  with  the  indulgence  of  cov- 
etousness. 

Believers  are  brought  by  the  gospel,  into  the  high 
and  honorable  relation  of  "  Sons  of  God,^'  and  conse- 
quently, "joint  heirs  with  Christ  Jesus"  of  the  blessings 
of  his  mediatorial  kingdom.  They  are  under  the  spe- 
cial care  of  the  Providence  of  God,  who  has  promised, 
that  "their  bread  shall  be  given  them,  and  their  water 


274     CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  CHRISTIANS  AND  OTHERS, 

shall  be  sure,"  and  that  "  He  will  never  leave  them,  nor 
forsake  them."  But  a  spirit  of  conformity  to  the  world, 
a  covetous  disposition,  and  an  eager  desire  after  earth- 
ly honors  and  splendor,  are  evidently  inconsistent  with 
such  exalted  privileges.  The  sons  of  God,  must  re- 
semble the  moral  character  of  their  Father  in  heaven, 
particularly  in  the  display  he  has  given  of  his  benevolence. 
But,  "  if  any  man  love  the  w^orld,  the  love  of  the  Fa- 
ther is  not  in  him,"  and  consequently,  he  can  lay  no 
claim  to  the  prerogatives  of  sons.  "  Whosoever  is  born 
of  God,  overcometh  the  world,"  and,  of  course,,  he 
whose  soul  is  absorbed  in  its  pursuits  and  vanities,  has 
never  been  brought  into  this  Divine  relation,  but  re- 
mains among  "  the  children  of  the  wicked  one." 

The  2^rospects  to  wiiich  the  saints  look  forward  in 
the  future  world  are  glorious  and  magnificent,  beyond 
any  thing  which  this  w^orld  can  present,  or  which  hu- 
man imagination  can  depict.  In  that  world,  there  are 
scenes  and  objects  calculated  to  gratify  the  sublimest 
faculties  of  the  immortal  spirit ;  an  enlarged  sphere  of 
contemplation — the  beatific  vision  of  God  in  the  efful- 
gence of  his  glory — "fulness  of  joy" — a  treasure  in  the 
heavens  that  fadeth  not — an  incorruptible  inheritance, 
— and  "  an  exceeding  great  and  an  eternal  weight  of 
glory." 

If  Christians,  then,  believe  in  the  existence  of  such 
grand  and  substantial  realities,  and  have  the  lively  hope 
of  entering,  ere  long,  into  their  full  possession, — is  it 
consistent  with  such  exalted  hopes,  and  such  animating 
prospects,  to  have  their  chief  affections  placed  on  the 
vain  and  transitory  objects  of  this  earthly  mansion, 
which  must  soon  be  snatched  from  their  embrace? 
And  how  can  they  say,  it  is  otherwise,  if  they  are  found 
grasping  their  worldly  treasures  so  firmly,  that  nothing 
but  a  small  fraction  can  be  squeezed  from  them  for  the 
cause  of  God  and  the  renovation  of  the  world  ?  What 
should  we  think  of  a  man  come  to  his  full  stature,  de- 
voting the  greater  part  of  his  time  and  attention,  to 
amusing  himself  with  tops,  marbles,  and  cherry  stones, 
as  when  he  was  a  child,  and  setting  a  higher  value  up- 


AS  TO  THEIR  AFFECTIONS,    CONDUCT,    &C.  275 

on  them  than  upon  all  the  serious  employments  of  life  ? 
We  should  immediately  denounce  him  as  a  fool,  or  a 
maniac,  or,  at  least,  as  one  who  acted  with  the  most 
glaring  inconsistency.  What  should  we  think  of  a  set 
of  mariners,  sent  to  circumnavigate  and  explore  a 
large  continent,  stopping  in  the  midst  of  their  course  in 
an  insignificant  island,  and  employing  themselves  in 
catching  musquetoes,  or  fishing  for  shrimps,  without  at- 
tempting to  prosecute  their  course  ?  or  of  a  traveller, 
on  an  important  embassy  to  a  large  city,  taking  up  his 
abode  at  an  inn,  in  the  midst  of  his  journey,  and  amu- 
sing himself  for  days  and  weeks,  with  gathering  shells, 
or  with  the  humors  of  a  fair,  instead  of  prosecuting  the 
object  of  his  expedition  ?  It  is  equally  preposterous, 
and  inconsistent,  for  a  man  who  professes  to  be  "  born 
from  above,"  and  to  be  travelling  to  heaven,  as  the 
place  of  his  ultimate  destination,  to  have  his  heart  glued 
to  the  treasures  of  this  world,  and  "to  boast  himself  in 
the  multitude  of  his  riches." 

Let  Christians,  then,  throw  off  everj^  earthly  encum- 
brance, and  arise  and  act  in  a  manner  befitting  their 
celestial  pedigree,  and  their  high  destination.  For 
v/hat  are  the  treasures  of  time  to  him  who  is  begotten 
to  the  lively  hope  of  an  incorruptible  inheritance  ? 
What  are  the  frowns  of  fortune,  to  him  who  claims  the 
celestial  vv  orld  as  his  eternal  portion  ?  What  are  thou- 
sands of  guineas,  or  dollars,  to  an  exceeding  great  and 
an  eternal  weight  of  glory  ?  What  are  the  honors,  the 
titles,  and  the  pageantry  of  this  passing  scene,  in  com- 
parison of  the  riches  and  grandeur  of  fhe  New  Jerusa- 
lem, and  the  dignity  of  being  "  kings  and  priests"  to  the 
"  Father  of  glory,"  in  the  mansions  not  made  with 
hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens  ?  As  heaven  in  its  height 
far  surpasses  the  circle  of  this  lower  world,  as  the  earth 
is  but  a  point,  in  comparison  to  the  wide  extended  uni- 
verse, £md  as  time,  with  all  its  circling  years,  is  but  a 
moment  to  the  ages  of  eternity ;  such  ought  to  be  the 
hopes  and  aflfections  of  Christians,  in  comparison  of 
earthly  possessions,  and  of  every  sublunary  misfortune. 
Were  such  views  fully  realized,  and  duly  appreciated  ; 
were  we  living  under  the  powerful  influence  of  that 


276     CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  CHRISTIANS  AND  OTHERS, 

faith,  which  is  "  the  confident  expectation  of  things  ho- 
ped for,  and  the  conviction  of  things  which  are  not 
seen;"  were  the  great  realities  of  the  eternal  world,  as 
they  ought  to  be,  ever  present  to  our  view,  in  all  their 
grandeur  and  importance,  a  very  different  display 
would  be  made  of  riches  from  what  we  now  behold, 
and  multitudes,  who  now  stand  aloof,  when  called  up- 
on for  contributions  to  the  service  of  God,  would  come 
cheerfully  forward,  "  bringing  their  gold  and  incense, 
and  showing  forth  the  praises  of  the  Lord." 


IL  I  shall  next  offer  a  few  considerations  to  the 
COVETOUS,  whether  professing  or  rejecting  Christianity. 

From  what  has  been  stated  in  the  preceding  pages, 
and  particularly  in  the  preceding  article,  it  will  not  be 
difficult  for  any  one  to  discern  whether  covetousness 
or  an  opposite  affection  rules  in  the  heart.  To  those 
whose  consciences  declare  that  they  are  under  the  in- 
fluence of  this  debasing  passion,  I  would  earnestly  call 
their  attention  to  the  following  considerations. 

1.  Consider  that  wealth,  however  great,  cannot  se- 
cure you  from  misery  and  calamity.  The  rich  man  is 
as  much  exposed  to  the  afflictions  and  accidents  of  hu- 
man life  as  the  poor,  and  sometimes  his  very  riches,  in 
which  he  trusts,  are  the  means  of  exposing  him  to  dis- 
eases and  dangers.  A  chimney  top,  or  even  a  tile  fall- 
ing from  a  house,  will  kill  a  nobleman  as  well  as  a  beg- 
gar. When  infectious  fevers  are  raging  around,  when 
the  cholera  is  sweeping  away  hundreds  in  the  course 
of  a  day,  can  wealth  prevent  its  ravages,  or  secure  you 
from  its  attacks  ?  When  the  thunders  are  rolling  along 
the  clouds,  and  the  lightnings  flashing  amidst  the  dis- 
mal gloom,  can  riches  secure  you  from  the  lightning's 
stroke,  or  prevent  your  hay  or  corn  from  being  set  on 
fire  ?  When  you  are  crossing  the  ocean  in  pursuit  of 
gain — when  you  behold  the  tempest  raging,  and  the 
waves  rolling  mountains  high,  can  your  treasures  still 
the  stormy  ocean,  or  prevent  your  being  engulfed  in 
the  devouring  deep  ?     In  such  cases,  the  king  and  the 


AS    TO   THEIR    AFFECTIONS,    CONDUCT,    &C.         277 

peasant  are  on  a  level,  and  equally  impotent  to  control 
the  laws  of  naiture,  or  to  counteract  the  operations  of 
the  Most  High.  How  many  instances  do  we  see  of 
persons  in  the  prime  of  life,  possessed  of  wealth  and 
honors,  and  in  the  midst  of  all  their  earthly  hopes  and 
schemes,  cut  off  in  a  few  days,  and  sometimes  in  a  mo- 
ment, by  a  burning  fever,  by  a  fall  from  a  horse,  the  over- 
turning of  a  chariot,  or  by  an  unexpected  conflagration  ? 
It  was  but  a  little  while  ago,  that  a  lady  of  noble  rank, 
of  great  wealth,  adorned  with  the  richest  jewels,  dis- 
tinguished for  her  splendid  entertainments,  and,  while 
she  was  preparing  for  a  magnificent  fete,  on  the  ensu- 
ing day,  was  involved,  while  sitting  in  her  apartment, 
in  a  sudden  and  mysterious  conflagration,  and  her  body 
and  jewels  reduced  to  an  invisible  gas,  so  that  no  trace 
of  them  except  a  few  small  burnt  fragments  of  bones, 
has  yet  been  found.  But  accidents  apart — riches  can- 
not ward  off'  those  diseases  which  may  prevent  all  com- 
fortable enjoyment  from  their  possession.  The  great- 
est wealth  you  can  accumulate  leaves  you  still  liable  to 
the  attacks  of  the  gout,  the  epilepsy,  the  palsy,  the 
asthma,  the  burning  fever,  the  gravel,  the  ague,  and  to 
the  loss  of  sight,  hearing,  tasting,  and  feeling,  and  to 
innumerable  other  disorders,  so  that  the  most  splendid 
spectacles,  the  most  exquisite  music,  or  the  most  costly 
viands,  may  be  unable  to  convey  any  real  enjoyment. 
Under  such  diseases,  to  which  all  are  liable,  the  most 
splendid  estate  can  afford  little  or  no  alleviation  ;  and 
the  possessor  of  thousands  or  millions  of  pounds  may 
feel  far  less  enjoyment  than  the  poorest  peasant ; — 
nay,  may  smart  under  pains  of  body  and  agonies  of 
mind,  to  which  the  beggar  expiring  on  a  dunghill  is  an 
utter  stranger.  Wealth,  with  all  its  gorgeous  trappings 
cannot  prevent  the  pain  of  surgical  operation,  the  bitter 
taste  of  nauseous  medicines,  the  agonizing  throes  of 
suflfering  nature,  the  terrors  of  a  guilty  conscience,  or 
the  fearful  forebodings  of  a  future  judgment.  And, 
therefore,  the  man  who,  in  such  circumstances,  has  no 
better  comforter  than  the  idea  of  the  greatness  of  his 
riches,  is  one  of  the  most  miserable  objects  in  creation. 
2.  Consider  the  uncertainty  of  riches.  It  is  onlv 
24 


278    CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  CHRISTIANS  AND  OTHERSy 

during  the  continuance  of  life  tliat  earthly  possessions 
can  be  enjoyed.  "  For  when  you  die,  you  can  carry 
nothing  hence,  your  glory  cannot  descend  after  you  to 
the  dust."  "  But  what  is  your  life  ?"  It  is  only  "  like 
a  vapour,"  which  a  small  breath  of  wind  may  soon  blow 
away.  In  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  w^hile 
you  are  hoarding  up  treasures,  and  trusting  in  the 
abundance  of  your  riches — or  even  you  are  aware — the 
decree  of  heaven  may  go  forth,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
rich  man  in  the  parable,  "  This  night  thy  soul  shall  be 
required  of  thee."  Almost  every  new^spaper  that 
comes  to  our  hands,  and  almost  every  returning  day, 
bear  witness  to  such  sudden  transitions  from  time  to 
eternity.  While  mortals  are  reclining  on  the  lap  of 
ease,  their  hearts  overcharged  with  surfeiting  and 
drunkenness,  running  the  giddy  rounds  of  fashionable 
dissipation,  or  working  all  manner  of  uncleanness  with 
greediness — w^iile  imagining  themselves  secure,  and 
foreboding  no  evil — death  interposes,  at  a  day's  or  even 
a  moment's  w^arning,  cuts  down  their  mortal  frames, 
and  summons  their  spirits  to  appear  before  the  Judge 
of  all.  But  although  life  be  continued,  the  wealth  in 
which  you  place  your  confidence  may  soon  be  snatched 
from  your  possession.  The  providence  of  God  has 
many  ways  by  which  to  change  the  greatest  prosperity 
of  this  world  into  the  greatest  misery  and  adversity^ 
and,  in  a  moment,  to  throw  down  the  fortune  of  the 
proudest  aspirer  after  wealth,  in  order  to  make  him 
contemplate  his  sin  in  his  punishment.  Such  a  change 
in  your  fortune  may  be  produced,  either  by  the  rapine 
of  enemies  or  the  treachery  of  friends,  by  your  own  ava- 
rice or  folly,  or  by  the  malice  or  revenge  of  your  ene- 
mies, by  the  prodigality  of  your  children  or  the  unfaith- 
fulness of  your  servants.  The  elements  of  nature,  the 
hurricane,  the  tempest,  the  overwhelming  deluge  may 
conspire  for  your  ruin.  Your  ships  may  be  dashed  to 
pieces  on  rocks  or  shoals,  or  a  sudden  conflagration 
may  lay  all  your  boasting  hopes  prostrate  in  the  dust. 
And  wilt  thou  place  thy  confidence  m  such  uncertain 
possessions?     "Wilt  thou   set  thine   eyes  upon  that 


AS    TO    THEIR    AFFECTIONS,    CONDUCT,    &C.         279 

which  is  not ;  for  riches   certainly   make   themselves 
wings ;  they  fly  away  as  an  eagle  toward  heaven." 

3.  Consider  the  folly  and  unreasonableness  of  cove- 
tous affections.  This  will  appear,  in  the  first  place,  if 
you  consider,  that  riches  considered  in  themselves  with- 
out res:ard  to  their  use,  are  of  no  value  ivhatsoever. 
Suppose  a  man  could  lay  up  a  stock  of  clothes  and 
provisions  sufficient  to  last  him  for  300  years,  what 
would  it  avail  him,  if  he  is  certain  that  he  cannot  live 
above  seventy,  or,  at  farthest,  above  a  hundred  years  ? 
Suppose  he  laid  up  in  a  storehouse  70,000  pair  of  shoes, 
to  what  end  would  it  serve,  if  he  could  make  use,  du- 
ring his  whole  life,  of  only  the  one  hundredth  part  of 
them  ?  He  w^ould  be  in  the  same  condition  as  a  man 
who  had  a  hundred  dishes  daily  placed  before  him  at 
dinner,  but  who  could  only  partake  of  one,  or  of  a  per- 
son who  had  a  hundred  mansions  purchased  for  his 
residence,  but  w^ho  could  occupy  only  one.  The  same 
thing  may  be  said  of  pounds,  shiUings,  and  dollars, 
which  are  of  no  use  in  themselves,  but  only  as  they  are 
the  representations  of  articles  of  necessity  and  luxury 
which  they  may  be  the  means  of  procuring.  How 
ridiculous  would  it  appear,  if  all  that  could  be  said  of  a 
man  while  he  lived,  w^as  simply  this — that  his  whole  life 
Y  ^^  occupied  in  collecting  and  laying  up  in  a  store- 
L.^sc  60,000  mahogany  chairs,  which  w^ere  never  in- 
tended to  be  used  for  the  furniture  of  apartments,  or 
80,000  pair  of  trowsers  which  were  never  to  be  worn  ? 
And  w  here  is  the  difference,  in  point  of  rationality  and 
utility,  between  such  absurd  practices,  and  hoarding 
thousands  of  guineas  or  bank  notes  which  are  never 
brought  forth  for  the  benefit  of  mankind  ?  There  is 
no  conduct,  connected  w^ith  the  pursuits  of  human  be- 
ings, that  appears  more  inean,  contemptible,  and  absurd, 
than  such  practices,  (however  common)  if  examined 
by  the  dictates  of  reason  and  the  word  of  God. 

The  folly  of  covetousness  likewise  appears  in  this, 
that  its  objects  cannot  afford  solid  satisfaction  to  the 
mind.  Wealth  can  neither  confer  new  senses,  or  open 
new  avenues  to  pleasure,  nor  block  up  the  passages  of 
pain  and  anguish.     It  cannot  produce  inward  peace' 


280     CON^SIDERATIOJTS  FOR  CHRISTIANS  AND  OTHERS^ 

equanimity,  domestic  comfort,  or  a  delightful  self-con- 
sciousness of  virtue,  or  of  the  Divine  approbation.  On 
the  contrary,  the  passion  of  covetousness  is  uniformly 
attended  with  mental  anxiety,  inquietude,  restless,  and 
insatiable  desires,  and  keeps  its  votaries  in  continual 
fear  of  losing  what  they  have  acquired,  so  that  they 
are  generally  fretful  and  discontented,  and  in  a  kind  of 
hell  of  their  own  creating.  However  much  they  may 
have  acquired,  they  are  still  in  the  pursuit  of  more  ;  and 
the  riches  of  the  whole  world,  were  it  possible  to  ob- 
tain them,  would  be  inadequate  to  satisfy  their  desires. 
In  their  mad  career  of  gain,  they  will  rush  forward  with 
the  utmost  impetuosity,  even  at  the  hazard  of  losing 
all  that  they  had  formerly  toiled  for  and  amassed. 
Marcus  Crassus,  a  celebrated  Roman,  surnamed  the 
Rich,  had  above  500  talents  left  him  to  begin  the  world 
with,  and  by  his  excessive  covetousness,  scraped  to- 
gether vast  sums  of  money.  Being  desirous  to  know, 
at  a  certain  period,  what  his  estate  amounted  to,  it  was 
summed  up  at  seven  thousand  one  hundred  talents,  or 
about  seven  millions  nine  hundred  and  eighty-seven 
thousands  of  British  pounds.  But  it  appears,  this  im- 
mense treasure  was  not  sufficient.to  satisfy  his  avari- 
cious passion  ;  for,  casting  an  evil  eye  upon  the  treas- 
ure of  the  Parthians,  he  marched  with  a  great  force 
against  them,  and,  being  defeated,  and  taken  prisoner, 
the  Parthian  general  gave  orders  to  cut  off  his  head, 
and  pour  melted  gold  down  his  throat,  to  upbraid  his 
excessive  covetousness,  that  never  thought  he  had 
enough.  Such  are,  not  unfrequently,  the  results  of  ex- 
cessive avarice,  and  such  the  termination  of  all  the  de- 
sires and  passions,  the  hopes  and  fears,  the  anxieties 
and  pursuits,  which  are  engendered  by  covetousness. 
Happiness  never  would  have  been  expected  to  result 
from  the  pursuits  and  enjoyments  of  avarice,  if  man 
had  retained  the  full  exercise  of  his  reason,  and  had 
never  fallen  from  his  original  estate. 

The  misery  and  folly  of  avarice  may  be  illustrated 
by  the  following  recent  occurrence,  extracted  from  the 
"Sunday  Times,"  of  Oct.  4,  1835.  "A  few  days 
since,  an  old  miser,  named  Webb,  who  has,  for  severed 


AS   TO    THEIR    AFFECTIONS,    CONDUCT,    &C.         281 

years,  resided  in  an  obscure  lodging  in  Barrack  court, 
Woolwich,  called  upon  Mr.  White,  a  broker,  residing  in 
Powis  street,  in  the  same  parish,  to  inquire  whether  he 
would  allow  him  to  lodge  with  him,  as  he  had  been 
uncomfortable  for  some  time  past.  The  request  was 
complied  with,  and,  in  the  course  of  the  evening,  he 
took  possession  of  his  new  apartments.  He  had  retired 
to  rest  but  a  very  short  time  before  he  was  taken  ill, 
and  at  his  request,  two  medical  men  were  sent  for. 
Upon  the  arrival  of  Messrs.  McDonald  and  Gaul,  they 
pronounced  him  to  be  in  a  dying  state,  which  w^as  no 
sooner  communicated  to  the  patient,  than  he  ordered 
an  attorney  to  be  sent  for,  as  he  wished  to  make  his 
will.  An  attorney  was  speedily  in  attendance.  The 
old  man  raising  himself  upon  the  bed,  bequeathed  to 
his  daughter  £100,  to  three  nephews  £30,  £40,  and 
£50  each.  Upon  being  asked  if  he  had  a  wife,  he  re- 
phed  '  Yes,'  but  he  had  been  parted  from  her  three 
times  ;  that  she  had  been  in  a  work  house  near  Stroud, 
in  Kent,  for  a  number  of  years,  and  that  he  did  not 
intend  to  leave  her  a  single  penny.  He  had  also  two 
brothers  and  another  daughter,  who  had  all  (he  said) 
behaved  ill  towards  him,  and  he  would  leave  them 
nothing.  Upon  being  asked  to  w^hom  he  left  the  resi- 
due of  his  property,  he  replied,  'To  Mr.  White  for  his 
kindness,'  at  the  same  time  handing  the  attorney  a  pa- 
per, which,  upon  being  opened,  was  found  to  contain 
securities  for  upwards  of  £800  in  the  Bank  of  England, 
so  that  Mr.  White,  (who  is  sole  executor)  will,  after 
pacing  the  respective  legacies,  clear  upwards  of  £500 
for  his  lodger,  who  continued  to  get  worse  and  died  on 
Sunday.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  the  deceased 
(who  was  75  years  of  age)  has  been  frequently  seen  to 
pick  up  bones  and  rags  in  the  street,  and  put  them  in 
his  pocket ;  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  in  a 
most  filthy  condition." 

Here  we  have  a  picture  of  a  poor  wretch,  who  ap- 
pears to  have  spent  the  greater  part  of  a  long  hfe  in 
scraping  together  £800,  and,  at  last,  bestowing  the 
greater  part  of  it  upon  an  entire  stranger.  We  behold 
him  neglecting  his  own  family,  and  his  nearest  rela- 
24* 


282    CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  CHRISTIANS  AND  OTHERS, 

tives ;  and,  almost  in  the  very  agonies  of  death,  in- 
dulging implacable  resentment  against  his  own  daugh- 
ter, and  the  wife  of  his  bosom,  and  leaving  her  to  be 
maintained  on  public  charity,  when  he  had  enough  and 
to  spare.     He  displayed  himself  to  be  little  short  of  a 
thief  and  a  robber,  as  most  misers  are.     He  robbed  the 
public  in  leaving  his  wife  to  be  maintained  in  a  poor- 
house,  he  robbed  his  wife  and  children  in  depriving  them 
of  what  they  had  a  natural  right  to,  and  giving  it  to  a 
stranger,  he  robbed  God  of  his  tithes  and  offerings,  in 
bestowing  no  portion  of  his  substance  in  his  service,  and 
he  robbed  himself,  in  depriving  himself  of  the  good 
opinion  of  his  fellow   men,  and  of  those  enjoyments 
which  might  have  rendered  him  comfortable  and  hap- 
py.    It  is  more  than  probable,  that  all  his  domestic 
broils  and  contentions,  and  the  alienation  of  affection  he 
experienced,  were  the  results  of  his  niggardly  and  ava- 
ricious disposition.     Who  that  enjoyed  peace  and  con- 
tentment would  envy  either  the  life  or  the  dying  houi-s 
of  such  a  wretched  being  ?     Yet  such  are  the  rewards, 
such  the  folly  and  wretchedness  of  those  who  surren- 
der themselve&to  the  power  and  dominion  of  covetous- 
iiess.     If  riches  could  procure  true  happiness,  even  in 
the  present  life,  there  might  be  some  apology  for  pur- 
suing them  with  eagerness ;  but  even  this,  they  are  in- 
adequate to  confer ;  for  experience  demonstrates,  that 
their  votaries  are  frequently  among  the  most  wretched 
of  the  human  race — a  prey  to  restless  and  malignant 
passions,  and  despised  by  their  fellow  m^en.. 

The  folly  of  covetousness  will  further  appear,  if  we 
consider,  that  the  objects  which  it  pursues  are  not  to  be 
compared,  in  point  of  grandeur  and  enjoyment,  with 
those  which  are  within  the  reach  of  all.  Wealth,  can 
command  stately  buildings,  splendid  apartments,  gor- 
geous apparel,  marble  statues,  curious  pictures,  gold 
and  silver  vessels,  spacious  gardens,  and  other  objects 
which  the  world  calls  noble  and  magnificent.  But 
"  what  good  is  there  to  the  owners  thereof,  saving  the 
beholding  of  them  with  their  eyes."  Every  spectator 
that  has  a  taste  for  such  objects  may  enjoy  the  pleas- 
ure arising  from  the  sight  of  them  as  well  as  the  pos- 


AS    TO   THEIR   AFFECTIONS,    CONDUCT,   &C.        2S9 

sessor.  Every  gardener  and  laborer  on  a  nobleman's 
estate  may  participate  of  the  pleasure  of  viewing  his 
improvements,  as  well  as  the  owner  himself.  But, 
what  are  all  the  gorgeous  toys  and  trappings  of  art,  or 
the  beauties  which  genius  can  invent,  or  riches  pur- 
chase, compared  with  the  beauties  and  magnificence 
of  Nature  ?  What  are  the  glitterings  of  the  most  pom- 
pous procession,  or  the  splendor  of  a  Yauxhall,  in  com- 
parison of  the  august  spectacle  of  the  vernal  sun  rising 
in  unclouded  majesty,  diffusing  his  beams  over  sur- 
rounding worlds,  gladdening  the  animal  tribes,  and 
shedding  a  radiance  on  every  object  in  our  terrestrial 
sphere  ?  There  is  not  a  scene,  though  finished  with 
the  most  costly  refinements  of  art,  comparable  to  the 
splendor  and  magnificence  of  the  sun  rising  in  his  glory. 
All  on  earth  appears  a  dreary  waste  till  the  aurora 
brightens  up  the  East,  as  the  harbinger  of  the  orb  of 
day : — then  the  plains  are  arrayed  in  verdure,  the  flow- 
ers put  forth  their  colors,  the  glittering  spires  appear, 
the  birds  warble  from  spray  to  spray,  and  renewed 
life,  activity,  and  beauty,  appear  throughout  our  lower 
creation — as  if  a  new  world  had  emerged  from  cha- 
otic darkness.  What  are  the  finest  vai'nishings  of  art 
compared  with  the  polishings  of  the  bodies  of  insects, 
or  of  sea-shells — or  the  most  exquisite  pieces  of  machi- 
nery^ to  the  mechanism  of  a  plant,  a  gnat,  or  a  micro- 
scopic animalcula  ?  Above  all,  what  can  be  compared 
to  the  glories  of  the  unclouded  firmament,  where  suns 
unnumbered  shine,  and  myriads  of  mighty  worlds  run 
their  ample  rounds  ?  Yet  all  such  august  and  splendid 
scenes,  with  all  the  variety  of  beauty  and  magnificence, 
with  which  the  Almighty  has  adorned  his  vast  crea- 
tion— which  are  open  to  the  contemplation  of  all — are 
overlooked  by  the  w^orldling  as  unworthy  of  his  regard. 
In  short,  the  folly  of  covetousness  appears  in  its 
most  striking  light,  in  preferring  objects  which  are  seen 
and  temporal  to  those  which  are  unseen  and  eternal. 
We  can  scarcely  have  an  adequate  idea  of  the  extreme 
folly  implied  in  such  conduct,  unless  we  could  form 
some  adequate  conception  of  what  is  included  in  the 
word  Eternal.     To  enable  us  to  form  some  faint  con- 


284    CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  CHRISTIANS  AND  OTHERS, 

ception  on  this  point,  some  of  our  old  writers  have  sug- 
gested the  following  illustration :  Suppose  the  whole 
earth  to  be  made  up  of  particles  of  sand,  and  suppose 
a  bird  to  come  every  thousand  years  to  pick  up  and  fly 
away  with  one  grain,  how  immense  must  be  the  dura- 
tion before  the  whole  sands  which  compose  the  earth, 
could,  by  this  slow  process,  be  removed  !  as  many  thou- 
sands of  years  as  there  are  particles  of  sand  in  the 
v/hole  globe  of  the  earth, — which  would  amount  to  the 
following  number  of  years,  30,000,000,000,000,000,- 
000,000,000,000,000,000,  or  thirty  thousand  &eptillions 
of  years  !  Yet  this  immense  period  of  duration,  is  still 
but  as  a  point,  or  a  moment,  when  compared  with 
eternity  !  On  such  a  supposition,  the  Schoolmen  start- 
ed the  following  question.  "  Suppose  that  you  had  it 
in  your  choice  to  be  happy  all  the  while  this  prodigious 
mass  of  sand  was  consuming,  by  this  slow  method,  till 
there  vv^as  not  a  grain  of  it  left,  on  condition  you  were 
to  be  miserable  forever  after  ; — or,  supposing  you  might 
be  happy  forever  after,  on  condition  you  would  be 
miserable,  till  the  whole  mass  of  sand  were  removed 
or  annihilated,  at  the  rate  of  one  sand  in  a  thousand 
years — which  of  these  two  cases  would  you  make 
your  choice  ?"  It  must  be  confessed,  that,  at  first  view, 
considering  the  extreme  length  of  the  period — which, 
to  our  limited  view,  appears  like  an  eternity  itself— we 
should  be  apt  to  choose  the  former  in  preference  to  the 
latter.  But  our  reason  tells  us,  that  the  latter  ought  to 
be  our  choice,  since  there  is  no  comparison  between  the 
one  duration  and  the  other,  any  more  than  there  is  be- 
tween an  unit,  and  the  greatest  number  of  figures  or 
sums  we  can  possibly  suppose.  What,  then,  must  be 
the  extreme  folly  of  those  who  for  the  sake  of  enjoying 
a  few  fleeting  baubles,  for  20,  30,  or  40  years,  or  at  the 
utmost,  for  "three  score  years  and  ten,"  will  run  the 
risk  of  experiencing  all  that  is  included  in  the  idea  of  a 
miserable  eternitt/ !  How  can  we  sufficiently  denounce 
the  stupidity  and  madness  of  those  who,  resolutely  and 
determinately,  make  so  absurd  and  irrational  a  choice  ? 
especially,  when  we  consider,  that  even  in  this  life,  the 
path  of  contentment,  and  the  ways  of  wisdom  and  holi- 


AS    TO    THEIR    AFFECTIONS,    CONDUCT,    <feC.        285 

ness,  are  ways  of  pleasantness  and  peace  !  To  prefer 
trifles  to  the  most  momentous  objects,  shadows  to  reali- 
ties, the  toys  of  time  to  the  treasures  of  eternity — if  any 
thing  may  be  termed  folly  and  madness — such  conduct 
ought  to  brand  every  one  who  is  guilty  of  it,  in  what- 
ever sphere  he  moves,  with  the  appellation  of  a /ooZ,  or 
a  maniac. 

If  then,  riches  are  only  valuable  in  proportion  to  their 
use — if  they  cannot  afford  solid  satisfaction  to  the  mind — 
if  the  objects  which  the  worldling  pursues  are  not  to  be 
compared  in  point  of  grandeur  to  those  which  are 
within  the  reach  of  all — and,  if  he  prefers  shadows  to 
reahties,  and  fleeting  objects  to  eternal  enjoyments — it 
must  be  folly  in  the  extreme  for  a  rational  being  to  have 
his  affections  placed  upon  them  as  the  ultimate  object  of 
his  pursuit. 

4.  Consider  in  what  light  the  objects  of  covetousness 
will  be  viewed,  and  ichat  comfort  they  will  afford  at  the 
approach  of  death. 

When  your  soul,  which  has  long  been  immersed  in 
the  cares  of  the  w^orld,  feels  itself  hovering  on  the 
verge  of  life,  and  about  to  take  its  flight  into  the  world 
unknown, 

In  that  dread  moment,  when  the  frantic  soul 
Raves  round  the  walls  of  its  clay  tenement, 
R>ins  to  each  avenue,  and  shrieks  for  help, 
But  shrieks  in  vain — 

in  what  a  very  different  light  will  you  view  the  perish- 
ing treasures  of  time  from  that  in  which  you  now  be- 
hold them  ?  You  now  trust  in  uncertain  riches,  and 
refuse  to  place  your  confidence  in  the  living  God,  who 
is  the  alone  source  of  felicity.  But,  "  will  riches  profit 
you  in  the  day  of  wrath,"  or  amidst  the  agonies  of  dis- 
solving nature  ?  Will  they  smooth  your  dying  pillow, 
or  assuage  the  bitter  anguish  of  your  spirit,  when  heart 
and  flesh  begin  to  faint  and  fail  ?  Will  they  then  be 
view^ed  as  a  suflicient  compensation  for  the  dismal  fore- 
bodings of  future  woe  which  may  then  assail  your  con- 


286    CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  CHRISTIANS  AND  OTHERS, 

science,  and  render  you  a  terror  to  yourself  and  to  all 
around  you  ?  Alas !  they  will  only  tend  to  plant 
thorns  on  your  dying  couch,  to  sharpen  every  pang, 
and  to  augment  the  horrors  of  despair.  Conscience, 
now  lulled  asleep  amidst  earthly  vanities,  may  then 
awake,  "  like  a  giant  refreshed  with  wine,"  and  pierce 
your  hearts  through  with  unutterable  sorrows.  Many 
striking  instances  of  this  kind  have  been  witnessed  by 
the  ministers  of  religion,  when  called  upon  to  attend  the 
death  bed  of  the  worldly  and  profane.  "  Had  I  now  a 
thousand  worlds,"  said  a  certain  worldling  who  bore  a 
fair  character,  "  Had  I  a  thousand  worlds,  I  would 
give  them  all  for  one  year  more,  that  I  might  present 
to  God  one  year  of  such  devotion  and  good  works  as  I 
never  before  so  much  as  intended."  The  noble  Alta- 
mont,*  who  had  spent  his  life  in  all  the  fashionable  dis- 
sipations of  the  world,  a  little  before  his  death,  on  hear- 
ing the  clock  strike,  exclaimed  with  vehemence,  "  O 
Time  !  Time  I  it  is  fit  thou  shouldst  thus  strike  the  mur- 
derer to  the  heart.  How  art  thou  now  fled  forever  !  A 
month  !  O  for  a  single  week  !  I  ask  not  for  years — 
though  an  age  were  too  little  for  the  much  I  have  to 
do."  And,  a  little  afterwards,  "  This  body  is  all  weak- 
ness and  pain,  but  my  soul,  as  if  strung  up,  by  torment, 
to  greater  strength  and  spirit,  is  full  powerful  to  reason, 
full  mighty  to  suffer."  Cardinal  Wolsey,  whose  grand 
aim  through  life  was  worldly  aggrandizement,  a  little 
before  he  died,  declared  with  anguish,  in  the  midst  of 
his  disgrace  "  Had  I  but  served  God  as  diligently  as  I 
have  served  the  king,  he  would  not  have  given  me  over 
in  my  grey  hairs."  In  like  manner,  many  a  one  at  the 
hour  of  dissolution  will  have  to  exclaim,  "  If  I  had  been 
as  anxious  to  attend  to  the  eternal  interests  of  my  im- 
mortal spirit,  as  to  lay  up  treasures  which  I  can  never 
use,  I  would  not  have  been  left  to  suffer  the  pangs  of 
remorse  which  I  now  feel." 

Such  considerations  demand  the  most  serious  atten- 
tion of  those  who  have  grown  old  in  the  habits  of  cov- 
etousness,  and  whose  grey-hairs  and  infirmities,  warn 

♦  Supposed  to  be  Lord  Euston. — Young's  "  Centaur  not  fabulous." 


AS  TO  THEIR    AFFECTIONS,    CONDUCT,    &C.         287 

them  that  they  are  on  the  confines  of  the  grave.  It 
has  been  remarked,  that,  as  in  winter,  the  roots  of 
plants  retain  the  sap,  when  the  branches  have  lost  their 
leaves  and  verdure,  so,  in  old  age,  the  winter  of  life, 
covetousness,  "  the  root  of  all  evil,"  retains  its  vigor, 
when  other  vices  have  withered,  and  fallen  into  decay. 
It  is  strange,  indeed,  but  not  more  strange  than  true, 
that  the  nearer  such  men  approach  to  the  earth,  they 
become  more  earthly-minded,  so  that,  at  the  evening 
of  life,  they  appear  as  if  they  were  providing  for  a  long 
and  prosperous  day.  No  one  is  more  fearful  of  want, 
and  more  hard  and  griping,  than  the  old  miser,  who  is 
just  about  to  step  into  the  grave.  While  other  vicious 
propensities  are  weakened  by  the  lapse  of  time,  cov- 
etousness derives  new  life  and  vigor,  as  age  increases. 
Like  a  patient  in  the  dropsy,  whose  thirst  is  inflamed 
by  drinking,  the  desires  of  the  covetous  are  augmented, 
by  increasing  riches,  and  they  are  never  more  tainted 
with  earthly  affections,  than  when  their  bodies  are 
about  to  be  reduced  to  their  original  dust. 

The  difficulty  of  subduing  such  a  woful  propensity, 
especially  in  the  decline  of  life,  is  great,  and,  in  most 
cases,  insurmountable.  It  is  like  tearing  the  skin  from 
the  flesh,  or  the  flesh  from  the  bones.  There  are  not 
perhaps  tw^enty  out  of  a  thousand,  on  w^hom  the  most 
cogent  or  alarming  arguments  will  have  the  least  ef- 
fect in  awakening  them  to  consideration,  or  turning 
them  from  their  covetousness.  The  vicious  principle 
they  indulge  is  so  subtle,  that  you  cannot  lay  hold  of  it, 
so  as  to  render  it  tangible.  It  is  so  deeply  seated,  that 
you  cannot  draw  it  from  its  hiding  place  to  make  it 
visible  in  the  face  of  day.  You  may  convince  a  man 
who  goes  on  in  a  regular  course  of  licentiousness,  and 
intemperance  of  the  folly  and  wickedness  of  his  con- 
duct, by  showing  him  the  inevitable  miseries  to  which 
it  leads  even  in  the  present  life.  But  we  have  no  such 
hold  on  the  covetous.  In  reply  to  every  argument, 
he  will  tell  you,  that  what  we  call  covetousness,  is  only 
a  necessary  prudence  to  augment  his  estate  and  secure 
it  from  danger,  to  provide  for  the  wants  of  his  family, 
and  leave  something  to  his  children,  w^hen  he  is  gone  ; 


288     CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  CHRISTIANS  AND  OTHERS, 

and  that  persons  of  great  repute  for  probity  and  wis- 
dom, are  found  prosecuting  a  similar  course.  He  is 
unwilling  to  be  convinced  of  his  sin  and  danger,  and 
is  like  a  person  dying  of  a  mortal  disease,  who  yet  per- 
ceives not  the  malignity  of  the  malady  which  is  hurry- 
ing him  to  his  grave. 

But,  the  difficulty  of  curing  such  a  distemper,  though 
great,  is  not  insurmountable.  While  there  is  life,  there 
is  hope.  Let  such  as  entertain  the  least  suspicions,  that 
all  is  not  right  with  them  as  to  this  matter,  seriously 
examine  their  hearts  on  this  point,  and  weigh  the  con- 
siderations which  have  already  been  adduced.  Above 
all  things,  look  up  to  God,  who  alone  can  heal  your 
disease,  and  purify  your  affections,  and  say  unto  him, 
in  the  language  of  the  Psalmist,  "  Search  me,  O  God, 
and  know  my  heart ;  try  me,  and  know  my  thoughts, 
and  see  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in  me,  and  lead  me 
in  the  way  everlasting."  Remember  that  your  happi- 
ness through  eternity  is  at  stake  ;  and  give  not  sleep  to 
your  eyes,  nor  slumber  to  your  eye-lids,  till  you  have 
fled  for  refuge  to  the  hope  set  before  you  in  the  gospel 
— till  you  have  renounced  your  idolatrous  affections, 
and  consecrated  your  heart  to  God.  Your  feet  are 
already  "  stumbling  on  the  dark  mountains,"  and,  ere 
you  are  aware,  you  may  fall,  at  the  next  step,  into  ir- 
retrievable ruin.  And  if  you  depart  from  this  world, 
under  the  dominion  of  covetous  affections,  you  are  ren- 
dered unfit  for  the  mansions  of  the  just,  and  the  hap- 
piness which  will  be  their  portion  forever  and  ever. 


5.  Consider  in  the  last  place,  that  your  covetous  af- 
fections, if  obstinately  indulged,  will  necessarily  exclude 
you  from  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  involve  you  in 
eternal  perdition. 

This  has  already  been  illustrated  in  various  points  of 
view,  (see  pp.  94,  156.) 

It  is  the  unalterable  decree  of  the  Most  High,  as  re- 
corded in  his  word,  that "  the  covetous  shall  not  inherit 
the  kingdom  of  God  ;"  and,  that  those  who  are  banish- 


AS  TO  THEIR   APFECTIOXS,    CONDUCT,    &C.  289 

ed  from  this  kingdom  and  its  honors,  "  shall  be  punish- 
ed with  everlasting  destruction  from  the  presence  of 
the  Lord,  and  from  the  glory  of  his  power."  In  the 
face  of  such  awful  declarations,  to  continue  in  the  lust 
of  covetousness,  grasping  incessantly  after  riches,  as 
the  highest  object  of  desire,  is  the  greatest  folly  and 
madness  of  which  men  can  be  guilty. 

For  what  a  poor  compensation  will  men  run  the  risk 
of  such  terrible  and  appalhng  consequences !  Our 
Saviour  tells  us,  that  it  would  profit  a  man  nothing, 
"  should  he  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  soul." 
But  how  often  does  it  happen,  that  men  forfeit  their 
eternal  happiness  for  the  merest  trifle,  and  set  their  im- 
mortal souls  to  sale  for  a  thing  of  nought  I  One  will 
sell  his  soul  merely  to  gratify  his  lust,  or  his  revenge ; 
another  will  rather  go  in  the  broad  way  to  hell,  than 
be  out  of  the  fashion  of  the  gay  world.  That  officer  in 
the  army,  who  lords  over  his  inferiors,  in  all  the  pomp 
of  his  brief  authority,  what  does  he  sell  his  soul  for  ? 
"  For  the  false  glory  of  swearing  expertly,  and  uniting 
blasphemy  with  politeness."  That  perjured  wretch, 
who  bears  false  witness  against  his  neighbor,  or  robs 
him  of  his  property,  by  fraud  or  deceit — what  price 
does  he  put  upon  his  soul  ?  A  few  guineas,  perhaps, 
or  a  house,  or  a  few  acres  of  land.  Few  men  ask  a 
throne,  a  kingdom,  a  province,  or  even  a  barony,  but 
will  hazard  the  loss  of  their  immortal  spirits,  for  the 
most  paltry  compensation  that  this  wretched  world  can 
afford.  "  Be  astonished  O  ye  heavens,  at  this,  and  be 
ye  horribly  afraid." 

O,  my  deluded  brethren,  arouse  yourselves  to  con- 
sideration ;  and  let  not  the  encumbrance  of  this  world's 
wealth  sink  you  down  to  the  lowest  hell.  Listen  to 
the  dictates  of  reason,  to  the  voice  of  conscience,  and 
to  the  word  of  God.  Consider  the  terrible  reflections 
you  will  make  upon  yourselves,  and  the  deep  and  inex- 
pressible anguish  and  regret  you  will  feel  at  the  mad- 
ness of  your  choice,  should  you  fall  into  perdition. 
Your  loss  will  then  be  found  not  only  vast  beyond 
comprehension,  but  absolutely  irreparable.  You  will 
25 


290     CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  CHRISTIANS  AND  OTHERS, 

curse  those  false  and  flattering  pleasures,  and  covetous 
lusts,  which  have  cheated  you  out  of  eternal  life,  and 
rendered  you  vessels  of  wrath  fitted  for  destruction, — 
and  would  be  glad  to  part  with  a  thousand  worlds, 
were  it  in  your  power,  for  the  opportunity  of  making 
a  new,  and  a  better  choice  ;  but  in  that  prison  of  des- 
pair, no  price  will  ever  be  accepted  for  your  redemp- 
tion. 

Could  I  describe  to  you  the  geography  of  that  dis- 
mal region,  where  hope  never  enters,  and  over  which 
hangs  the  blackness  of  darkness  forever ;  could  I  paint 
the  gnawings  of  "  the  worm  that  never  dies,"  and  the 
sharpness  of  "  the  fire  which  is  never  quenched  ;"  the 
raging  anguish,  the  fearful  despair,  the  w^ant  of  the  least 
pity  or  commiseration ;  the  insolent  scorn  and  cruelty 
of  wicked  associates ;  the  "  w^eeping  and  wailing,  and 
gnashing  of  teeth,"  which  form  only  a  portion  of  future 
misery ;  how  would  the  folly  of  your  conduct  startle, 
and  confound  you,  in  hazarding  such  an  awful,  and 
interminable  retribution,  for  the  short  lived  enjoyment 
of  trifles  light  as  air !  Let  such  considerations  sink 
deep  into  the  heart  of  every  worldling,  and,  without  a 
moment's  delay,  let  him  take  refuge  from  "  the  wrath 
to  come,"  by  betaking  himself  to  "  the  hope  set  before 
him,"  and  by  consecrating  to  the  service  of  God  all  his 
riches  and  treasures,  all  his  powers  and  affections.  To 
all  the  deceitful  promises  and  prospects,  which  the 
world  and  the  flesh  may  set  before  you,  oppose  those 
emphatic,  and  momentous  words  of  Him  who  is  Lord 
of  the  visible,  and  invisible  worlds, — "  What  is  a  man 
profited,  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his 
own  soul  ?  or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for 
his  soul?" 


in.  Considerations  addressed  to  Christians,  on 
whom  God  has  bestowed  wealth  and  influence. 

To  you,  my  beloved  brethren,  who  "  know  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus,"  and  who  feel  an  ardent  desire  for  its 
universal  propagation,  I  would  offer  a  few  considera- 


AS  TO  THEIR  AFFECTIONS,    CONDUCT,    &C.  291 

tions  and  motives,  "  to  stir  up  your  pure  minds,  by  way 
of  remembrance." 


In  the  first  place,  I  would  have  you  consider,  that  a 
far  greater  proportion  of  your  substance  than  has  ever 
yet  BEEN  thought  of  hy  Christians  in  general,  should  he 
devoted  to  the  service  of  God,  and  the  promotion  of  the 
best  interests  of  your  fellow-men, 

God  is  the  original  proprietor  of  your  estates  ;  from 
Him  you  derived  them  ;  and,  if  by  the'  exertion  of  your 
own  powers  and  activities,  you  have  acquired  the 
weahh  you  possess,  you  are  aware,  that  the  faculties 
which  enabled  you  to  acquire  riches,  were  gifts  be- 
stowed upon  you  by  his  bounty,  and  that  the  train  of 
circumstances  which  led  to  your  success,  was  the  re- 
sult of  the  arrangements  of  his  Providence.  You  might 
have  been  born  a  changeling,  destitute  of  both  bodily 
and  mental  energies ;  you  might  have  been  placed  in 
other  circumstances,  which  would  have  prevented  your 
acquisition  of  wealth,  and  doomed  you  to  perpetual 
poverty ;  or  you  might  have  commenced  your  exist- 
ence in  the  centre  of  New  Holland,  or  the  wilds  of 
Patagonia,  where  you  could  never  have  experienced 
the  blessings  and  privileges  you  now  enjoy.  Over  all 
such  circumstances  you  had  no  control ;  and  therefore, 
you  are  indebted  to  God  for  all  these  arrangements  of 
his  providence,  which  have  placed  you  in  the  midst  of 
your  present  comforts.  It  is  God  who  "  hath  given 
you  power  to  get  wealth ;"  for,  "  both  riches  and  hon- 
or come  from  Him."  These  are  truths  which  the 
world  in  general,  and  which  even  Christians  themselves 
too  frequently  overlook. 

You  are,  therefore,  bound  by  every  rational  and 
scriptural  tie,  to  consecrate  the  wealth  and  influence 
you  possess  to  his  honor  and  glory.  He  does  not  call 
upon  you  to  part  with  any  thing  which  is  necessary  to 
your  rational  and  sensitive  enjoyment.  For  the  exu- 
berant bounty  of  his  Providence  is  such,  that  there  is 
abundance  provided,  in  the  system  of  nature,  for  sup- 
plying the  wants  of  all  his  creatures,  rational  and  irra- 


292     CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  CHRISTIANS  AND  OTHERS, 

tional,  when  their  desires  are  confined  within  the  bounds 
which  reason  and  nature  prescribe.  But,  he  has  judg- 
ed proper  to  demand  a  portion  of  the  wealth  of  volun- 
tary agents,  to  accomplish  his  benevolent  and  gracious 
purposes  in  the  world  ;  and,  it  is  a  high  honor  confer- 
red on  man,  that  he  is  invited  to  be  "  a  worker  togeth- 
er with  God,"  in  promoting  the  regeneration  of  the 
world. 

You  are  not,  therefore,  to  imagine  that  the  wealth 
you  have  acquired,  is  exclusively  your  own,  and  that 
you  may  do  with  it  as  you  please.  You  are  bound,  as 
a  Christian,  by  the  most  sacred  ties,  to  devote  all  that 
is  not  essential  to  your  rational  comfort,  in  the  situation 
in  which  you  are  placed,  to  such  purposes  as  I  have 
stated  in  a  preceding  chapter.*  And,  if  you  entertain 
a  lively  sense  of  God's  providential  goodness  towards 
you,  and  of  your  obligation  to  Him,  who  hath  redeem- 
ed your  souls  from  destruction,  and  crowned  you  with 
spiritual  and  heavenly  blessings ;  you  will  resign  to  his 
service,  without  a  murmur,  nay,  with  the  utmost  cheer- 
fulness, a  large  portion  of  those  treasures,  which  his 
bounty  has  bestowed. 

But,  to  come  to  particulars : — I  shall  suppose  you 
have  an  income  of  £800  a  year.  What  would  you 
think  of  devoting  £300  annually,  exclusively  for  the 
purposes  to  which  I  have  alluded  ?  You  will,  perhaps, 
think  it  is  bearing  too  hard  upon  you,  to  make  such  a 
demand.  But,  can  you  deny,  that  with  the  remaining 
£500,  you  can  enjoy  all  the  sensitive  pleasures  which 
a  Christian,  or  any  rational  man  ought  to  desire.  You 
would  perhaps  require  to  part  with  some  luxury  in 
dress,  food,  clothing,  or  equipage,  which  is  not  essen- 
tial to  human  happiness  ;  but,  are  no  small  sacrifices 
to  be  made  for  the  general  good  of  mankind,  and  to 
testify  your  love  to  the  Redeemer  ?  What,  if  you  were 
called  upon  by  God,  as  the  Apostles  were,  to  forsake 
friends,  and  houses,  and  lands,  for  Christ's  sake,  and  to 
travel  into  foreign  countries,  depending  every  day  for 
supply  on  the  providence  of  God  ?     What,  if  you  were 

*  See  Chapter  VI.  throughout. 


AS  TO  THEIR  AFFECTIONS,   CONDUCT,   &C.         293 

required,  as  was  once  done,  in  the  case  of  a  certain 
rich  individual,  to  "  sell  all  that  you  have,  and  give  to 
the  poor,"  as  an  evidence  of  the  sincerity  of  your  Chris- 
tian profession  ?  or  what  if  you  were  required  to  sub- 
mit to  persecutions  and  torments,  like  the  first  Christ- 
ians, or  to  flee  to  deserts,  and  rocks,  and  mountains,  like 
the  pious  and  persecuted  Waldenses?  Would  you 
consider  such  sacrifices  too  great  for  the  sake  of  your 
Redeemer,  and  for  the  certain  prospect  of  an  eternal 
weight  of  glory  ?  If  not,  how  small  a  sacrifice  is  that 
now  demanded,  compared  with  the  privations  and  suf- 
ferings of  those  illustrious  characters  of  whom  the 
world  was  not  worthy,  "  who  wandered  about  in  sheep 
skins,  and  goats  skins,  in  deserts,  in  mountains,  in  dens 
and  caves  of  the  earth,  being  destitute,  afliicted,  tor- 
mented ?"  What  would  those  Christian  heroes  have 
thought,  had  God  thought  proper  to  grant  them  the 
tenth  imrt  of  your  income  ?  How  would  they  have 
exulted  in  the  Divine  Beneficence  ?  and,  like  Mr.  Park, 
when  he  received  a  mess  of  pottage  from  an  old  ne- 
gro woman  in  the  wilds  of  Africa — would  have  ex- 
claimed, "  Thou  hast  prepared  a  table  for  us  in  the  wil- 
derness, in  the  presence  of  our  enemies ;  our  cup  run- 
neth over ;  surely  goodness  and  mercy  shall  follow  us 
all  the  days  of  our  lives,  and  we  shall  dwell  in  the  house 
of  the  Lord  forever." 

To  the  proposal  now  made,  you  will  perhaps  object,' 
that  the  station  of  life  in  which  you  have  hitherto  mo- 
ved, requires  you  to  spend  nearly  all  your  income,  that 
you  cannot  think  of  being  singular,  or  altogether  out  of 
the  fashion  ;  that  you  must  forego  sumptuous  enter- 
tainments, and  might  be  considered  by  your  genteel 
friends  and  acquaintances,  as  mean  and  niggardly  ;  that 
you  behoved  sometimes  to  walk,  when  you  might  ride 
in  a  carriage  ;  that  you  would  be  obliged  to  occupy  a 
house  of  seven  apartments,  instead  of  ten;  to  deny 
yourself  the  luxury  of  a  fine  painting,  or  an  elegant 
piece  of  furniture,  or  a  sumptuous  dress,  similar  to 
those  of  your  compeers ;  that  you  must  provide  por- 
tions for  your  children,  when  you  are  gone ;  along 
25* 


294     CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  CHRISTIANS  AND  OTHERS, 

with  many  similar  excuses  which  might  be  brought  for- 
ward. But,  on  the  slightest  reflections,  you  will  perceive 
that  these  are  not  Christian  considerations,  but  argu- 
ments based  on  selfish  principles  and  worldly  views. 
To  bring  forward  such  excuses,  is  virtually  to  declare, 
that  you  consider  the  pomp  and  fashion  of  this  passing 
world  as  more  important  than  promoting  the  glory  of 
Messiah's  kingdom  ;  that  you  would  rather  behold  mis- 
sionary enterprizes  frustrated,  and  the  heathen  perish- 
ing by  millions,  than  part  with  the  luxury  of  a  gig,  or  a 
landau ;  that  you  would  rather  see  the  poor  starving, 
and  dying  of  want,  as  they  are  now  doing  in  a  neighbor- 
ing island,*  than  not  enjoy  with  your  gay  friends  your 
accustomed  splendid  entertainments ;  that  you  would 
see  the  industrious  laborer  without  employment,  and 
living  in  wretchedness,  rather  than  abstract  from  luxu- 
ry, a  small  sum  for  the  melioration  of  human  beings, 
and  the  improvement  of  society ;  that  you  would  be- 
hold another  generation  rising  up  in  ignorance  and 
vice,  rather  than  part  with  an  expensive  and  unneces- 
sary piece  of  furniture,  in  order  to  assist  in  laying  the 
foundation  of  universal  instruction  ;  or,  that  you  would 
rather  see  the  earth  overspread  with  deserts,  and  its 
inhabitants  living  in  the  most  wretched  hovels,  than 
resign  two  or  three  apartments  not  necessary  to  your 
comfort,  for  assisting  in  the  renovation  of  the  world. 

This  is  the  plain  English  of  all  such  selfish  and  fash- 
ionable excuses  ;  and  I  am  sure,  that  no  Christian,  who 
has  his  heart  deeply  impressed  with  a  sense  of  Divine 
things,  and  of  his  obligations  to  God,  will  consider  them 
as  valid. 

With  regard  to  laying  up  portions  for  children,  I 
have  already  offered  some  remarks  which  need  not  be 
repeated. 

As  a  follower  of  Christ,  you  are  called  "  to  take  up 
the  cross,"  and  submit  to  some  sacrifices  for  his  sake* 
The  Christian  life  is  a  warfare  against  the  world,  and 
the  flesh,  and  "  spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places ;" 

•  Ireland— see  "  Report  of  the  Coinmissioiiers,"  &c.  and  Appendix. 


AS  TO  THEIR   AFFECTIONS,    CONDUCT,   &C.  295 

and  therefore,  you  must  lay  your  account  to  strive 
against  many  of  tlie  passions  and  propensities  of  your 
nature, — to  counteract,  in  some  cases,  your  own  taste 
and  worldly  feelings,  and  even  to  be  "  accounted,"  as 
the  Apostles  were,  "  fools  for  Christ's  sake."  But  O, 
my  Christian  friend !  how  small  a  sacrifice  is  it  to  re- 
sign enjoyments  which  are  little  more  than  ideal,  w^hile 
every  comfort,  essential  to  human  happiness,  is  still  re- 
tained !  The  consideration,  of  the  happiness  you  may 
thus  be  the  means  of  diffusing  in  various  directions, 
ought  to  be  far  more  than  a  compensation,  for  the  slight 
sacrifice  (if  it  may  be  so  called,)  of  a  portion  of  your 
pecuniary  treasures.  The  effect,  too,  which  your  con- 
duct, in  this  respect,  may  have  to  excite  hundreds  of 
your  fellow  Christians  to  follow  your  example,  and  the 
influence  it  may  have,  even  on  future  generations, 
should  be  a  powerful  motive  to  constrain  you  "  to  de- 
vise liberal  things,"  in  reference  to  the  cause  of  God 
and  religion,  that  you  may  be  entitled  to  the  highest 
rewards  given  to  those  who  improve  the  talents  com- 
mitted to  their  trust,  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful 
servant,  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." 

In  the  above  remarks,  I  have  supposed  a  Christian 
to  be  possessed  of  an  annual  income  of  £800.  Were 
he  possessed  of  an  income  of  £2000  or  £3000,  I  have 
no  hesitation  in  saying,  that  he  ought  to  devote  at  least, 
the  one  half  to  the  promotion  of  the  great  objects  of 
religion,  and  general  philanthropy  ;  and  that  one  whose 
income  is  £200,  or  under,  not  descending  below  £50 
or  £60,  should  devote  at  least,  the  one  tenth  of  it  to  the 
same  purpose.  This  proportion  is  no  more  than  w^hat 
was  imperatively  demanded  by  government,  as  a  com- 
pulsory tax  on  all  such  incomes,  during  the  late  war ; 
and  the  same  sum  is  now  requested  on  a  voluntary 
principle,  for  a  higher  and  nobler  object. 

Let  Christians  seriously  consider,  as  in  the  presence 
of  God,  and  as  indebted  to  him  for  the  hope  and  pros- 
pects of  eternal  life,  whether  they  dare,  or  ought  to  re- 
fuse it.  As  to  all  lower  incomes  than  those  alluded  to,  a 
certain  proportion  ought  likewise  to  be  allotted  for  the 


296     CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  CHRISTIANS  AND  OTHERS, 

same  objects,  except  in  the  case  of  absolute  poverty. 
Perhaps  a  twentieth,  or  a  thirtieth  at  least,  is  the  low- 
est rate,  or  proportion  which  should,  in  any  case  be  al- 
lotted to  the  service  of  God. 


2.  Consider,  that  all  the  pecuniary  efforts  you  can 
possibly  make,  are  essentially  requisite  for  the  enlight- 
ening and  regeneration  of  society,  and  that  your  par- 
simony may  be  the  means  of  retarding  the  universal 
promulgation  of  the  gospel. 

I  have  already  shown,  in  chapter  VI.  the  vast  ex- 
tent of  the  enterprize  to  be  undertaken,  and  of  the 
work  to  be  accomplished,  and  the  immense  sums  re- 
quisite for  carrying  them  forward ;  from  which  it  will 
appear,  that  all  the  liberality  that  every  Christian  can 
display,  is  absolutely  necessary  in  order  to  promote  the 
renovation  of  the  physical  and  moral  world,  and  to  dif- 
fuse the  knowledge. of  divine  truth  among  the  nations. 
Almost  all  the  departments  of  the  social  state  require 
to  be  re-modelled — universal  education,  on  a  broad 
and  universal  basis,  requires  to  be  established  in  every 
land — the  poor  require  to  be  furnished  w^ith  employ- 
ment, instruction  and  comfortable  habitations^"  the 
face  of  the  earth"  requires  to  be  "  renewed,"  and  the 
deserts,  marshes,  and  barren  w^astes,  transformed  into 
fertile  fields,  and  luxuriant  vegetation — the  600  millions 
which  people  heathen  nations,  require  to  be  instructed 
in  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God,  and  of  Jesus  Christ 
whom  he  hath  sent — the  "  isles  afar  off  must  be  visited, 
and  vast  continents  explored,  that  their  inhabitants  may 
be  visited  with  the  day  spring  from  on  high  and  the 
knowledge  of  salvation."  The  gospel  must  be  pub- 
lished to  all  nations,  and  the  way  prepared  for  the  tri- 
umphant reign  of  Messiah  over  all  kindreds  and  peo- 
ple. Every  valley  must  be  exalted,  and  every  moun- 
tain and  hill  must  be  levelled,  to  prepare  a  high  way 
for  the  approach  of  Him  "to  whom  is  given  dominion, 
and  glory,  and  a  kingdom,  that  all  people,  nations,  and 
languages,  should  serve  Him" — "  whose  dominion  is  an 


AS  TO  THEIR  AFFECTIONS,  CONDUCT,  &C.    297 

everlasting  dominion,  and  his  kingdom  that  which  shall 
not  be  destroyed."  All  these  extensive  and  important 
objects  require  to  be  accomplished  by  the  combined 
efforts  of  the  citizens  of  Zion,  in  connection  with  the 
movements  of  Divine  Providence  and  the  operations  of 
the  Divine  Spirit,  and  an  imperious  call  is  addressed  to 
every  one  to  engage  in  this  holy  enterprise.  Say  not 
ye,  therefore,  as  the  ancient  Jews,  "  The  time  is  not 
come,  the  time  that  the  Lord's  house  should  be  built." 
"  For,  thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  consider  your  ways ; 
go  up  to  the  mountain,  and  bring  store,  and  build  this 
house,  and  I  will  take  pleasure  in  it,  and  I  will  be  glori- 
fied, saith  Jehovah.  Be  strong,  all  ye  people  of  the 
land,  and  work,  for  I  am  with  you,  saith  the  Lord  of 
hosts.  For  thus  saith  the  Lord,  it  is  a  little  while,  and 
I  will  shake  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and  the  sea,  and 
the  dry  land.  And  I  will  shake  all  nations,  and  the  de- 
sire of  all  nations  shall  come,  and  I  will  fill  this  house 
with  gloiy,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.  The  silver  is 
mine,  and  the  gold  is  mine,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.  I 
will  overthrow  the  throne  of  kingdoms,  and  I  will  de- 
stroy the  strength  of  the  kingdoms  of  the  heathen,  and 
I  will  give  peace,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts." 

Now,  therefore,  my  brethren,  listen  to  the  admoni- 
tion. '*  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  consider  your 
WAYS ;"  consider  whether  you  have  yet  done  all  that 
is  in  your  power  to  accomplish  the  purposes  of  the 
most  High.  Consider,  whether  your  indifference  and 
parsimony,  have  not  prevented  the  preparations  requi- 
site for  rearing  the  spiritual  temple  of  Jehovah.  And, 
if  you  are  convinced,  that,  were  you  w^eighed  in  the 
balance,  you  would  be  found  wanting,  it  is  now  time  to 
make  up  your  deficiency,  and  to  awake  to  spiritual 
activity,  and  to  holy  enterprises.  Will  you  allow  the 
love  of  the  world  to  prevent  the  extension  of  the  gos- 
pel, and  to  retard  the  approach  of  the  millennial  era, 
and  the  full  glory  of  Messiah's  reign  ?  Yet  this  ye  do, 
if  ye  do  not  come  forward,  with  cheerfulness,  to  de- 
vote all  the  treasures  you  can  possibly  spare,  to  pre- 
pare the  way,  for  the  proclamation  among  all  people 
of  "  the  salvation  of  our  God."   What  a  sad  reflection  is 


298    CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  CHRISTIANS  AND  OTHERS, 

it,  should  conscience  accuse  us,  that  we  have  been 
guilty  of  standing  as  obstructions  to  the  progress  and 
prosperity  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  ?  It  is  not  un- 
likely that  a  reflection  of  this  kind  may  occasionally 
damp  the  joys  of  individuals,  even  in  the  celestial  man- 
sions. We  are  told  of  some  who  shall  be  saved,  "  yet 
so  as  hy  fire,-'  implying,  that,  though  they  shall  be 
rescued  from  perdition,  yet  a  mark  of  disapprobation 
will  be  set  upon  certain  parts  of  their  conduct,  which 
will  prevent  them  from  receiving  the  higher  rewards 
of  the  heavenly  state.  But,  every  Christian  should  so 
act,  as  to  render  himself  worthy  of  the  highest  appro- 
bation of  his  Lord  and  master,  and  of  the  higher  seats 
in  the  mansions  of  bliss.  Those  to  whom  God  has 
given  abundant  treasures,  have  the  best  opportunities 
of  thus  distinguishing  themselves  ;  and  we  know,  more- 
over, that,  "to  whom  much  is  given,"  from  them 
"  much  will  be  required."  Let  it  never,  then,  be  sur- 
mised of  you,  that  your  conduct  appears,  as  if  you  set 
a  higher  value  on  the  pomp  and  fashion  of  the  world, 
in  laying  up  treasures  on  earth,  in  providing  portions  for 
your  children,  or  in  living  in  luxurious  abundance,  than 
in  hastening  the  arrival  of  the  millennium,  or  in  aim- 
ing at  the  highest  honors  of  the  celestial  kingdom. 
Let  the  promises  of  your  God  and  Redeemer,  the  pleas- 
ure of  beholding  the  gradual  progress  of  the  world's 
regeneration,  and  the  glorious  prospects  presented  to 
your  faith,  animate  and  encourage  you  to  come  forth 
as  a  Christian  hero  in  the  cause  of  universal  benevo- 
lence ;  and  although  you  should  be  sneered  at  by  the 
men  of  the  world,  "great  shall  be  your  reward,"  in  that 
kingdom  where  they  who  have  been  instrumental  in 
turning  many  to  righteousness,  "shall  shine  as  the 
brightness  of  the  firmament,  and  as  the  stars  forever 
and  ever.* 


*  It  is  not  a  little  unaccountable,  on  Christian  principles,  that  eo  many- 
wealthy  professors  of  religion  leave  the  world,  whhout  bequeathing 
any  portion  of  their  substance  for  religious  and  philanthropic  purposes. 
An  aged  gentleman,  a  professor  of  religion,  who  had  for  many  years 
attended  a  respectable  dissenting  place  of  worship,  died  a  few  weeks 
ago,  leaving  money  and  property  to  the  amount  of  £20,000.     But,  al- 


AS  TO  THEIR  AFFECTIONS,  CONDUCT,  &C.    299 

3.  Consider  the  import  of  the  words  of  your  Re- 
deemer, "  It  is  more  blessed  (or  happy)  to  give  than  to 
received 

The  disposition  to  communicate  happiness  to  fellow- 
intelhgences,  is  one  of  the  characteristic  traits  of  the 
true  Christian,  by  which  he  is  distinguished  from  the 
selfish  and  avaricious  soul,  and  from  the  v/orld  that 
lieth  in  wickedness.  It  is  the  source  of  all  natural  and 
moral  good,  the  spring  of  all  public  and  private  happi- 
ness, and  the  only  real  excellence  of  moral  and  intelli- 
gent beings.  A  disposition  to  receive  happiness  from 
others,  but  never  to  be  instrumental  in  imparting  it, 
would  create  a  vast  blank  throughout  the  universe  ; 
and  its  countless  tribes  of  inhabitants  would  remain 
forever  destitute  of  enjoyment.  Creation  might  pre- 
sent a  scene  of  beauty  and  fertility  to  the  eye,  but  the 
affection  of  moral  beings  would  be  cold  and  chill  as  the 
frosts  of  winter,  and  their  hearts  would  never  thrill 


though  he  was  unmarried,  and  had  no  children,  nor  brothers  nor  sisters, 
not  a  single  pound  of  it  was  devoted  to  the  public,  charitable,  or  religious 
objects — while  the  onehalf  of  this  sum  might  have  been  appropriated  to 
such  objects,  without  the  least  injury  to  surviving  relatives,  most  of  whom 
stood  in  no  need  of  it.  About  a  month  ago,  a  lady  informed  me,  that 
a  gentleman  in  one  of  our  populous  cities  had  died  worth  £300,000.  I 
replied,  in  the  words  of  the  late  J.  B.  Wilson,  Esq.,  "  He  has  died  wick- 
edly rich."  She  was  startled  at  the  reply  and  said  "  that  he  was  a  re- 
spectable character,  and  had  acquired  his  wealth  in  an  honorable  way." 
I  asked,  how  much  of  it  he  had  left  for  the  purposes  of  religion  and  phi- 
lanthropy 7  She  replied,  "  that  she  had  heard  of  nothing  being  left  for 
such  purposes,  but  he  had,  no  doubt,  given  during  his  life,  something  for 
charitable  objects ;  and  that  it  was  very  proper  and  dutiful  for  a  man  to 
provide  for  his  family,  that  they  may  move  in  their  proper  station  ;  for 
we  are  told,  that  he  who  provideth  not  for  his  household,  hath  denied 
the  faith,  and  is  worse  than  an  infidel,"  &c.  T  replied,  such  a  man 
ought  to  have  left  at  least,  £20,000,  for  rational  and  religious  pui-poses, 
without  in  the  least  injuring  his  family,  in  whatever  station  they  were 
brought  up,  and  I  could  not  but  entertain  a  very  low  opinion  of  that 
man's  Christianity,  who  could  accumulate  so  much  wealth,  and  leave 
none  of  it  to  promote  the  cause  of  I'eligion  and  the  best  interests  of  man- 
kind. But  my  worthy  female  friend  could  not  be  persuaded  but  that  a 
man  might  lawfully  do  with  his  own  as  he  pleased,  and  that  his  family 
were  entitled  to  the  whole  of  what  he  possessed.  This  is  a  fallacy 
which  ought  to  be  removed  from  the  minds  of  professed  religionists,  as 
it  implies  a  virtual  denial  of  our  dependence  upon  God,  and  of  our 
obligations  to  consecrate  our  wealth  and  talents  to  the  accomplishment 
of  his  benevolent  designs. 


300    CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  CHRISTIANS  AND  OTHERS, 

with  joy  amidst  surrounding  associates.  But,  from  the 
voluntary  and  benevolent  agency  of  intelligent  beings, 
beginning  at  the  great  first  cause  of  all  enjoyment, 
and  descending  through  every  subordinate  rank  of  in- 
tellectual existence,  flows  all  that  happiness  which  is 
enjoyed,  either  in  earth  or  heaven,  by  every  rank  of 
moral  agents,  whether  men  or  angels,  cherubim  or 
seraphim.  This  is  the  plain  import  of  the  maxim  of 
our  Saviour.  "It  is  more  happy  to  give  than  to  re- 
ceive," namely,  that  the  communication  of  good  ought 
to  be  the  great  object  of  every  Christian,  and  that  it  is 
more  desirable  and  honorable  to  impart  enjoyment  to 
others  than  to  receive  it  from  them. 

I  cannot  conceive  a  source  of  greater  happiness  on 
earth,  than  that  which  would  flow  to  a  Christian,  whom 
God  had  blessed  with  abundance  of  wealth,  in  distri- 
buting, at  least  the  one  half  of  his  substance,  in  works 
of  piety  and  beneficence.  He  might  soon  behold, 
every  where  around  him,  the  young  trained  up  in 
knowledge  and  virtue,  the  gospel  preached  to  the  poor 
and  to  ever}^  class,  the  ignorant  instructed,  the  indus- 
trious laborer  supplied  with  employment,  the  afflicted 
reheved,  the  wants  of  the  destitute  supplied,  schools, 
churches,  and  commodious  dweUings  with  garden  plots, 
rising  on  every  side  ;  the  desert  cultivated,  and  the 
wilderness  made  to  bud  and  blossom  as  the  rose. 
Such  a  character  would  be  as  eyes  to  the  blind,  and 
feet  to  the  lame,  and  would  cause  the  widow's  heart  to 
leap  for  joy.  Wherever  he  appeared  misery  would 
smile,  and  his  presence  would  be  hailed  with  gratitude 
and  joy.  How  many  improvements  of  this  description 
might  be  effected,  and  how  much  happiness  diff'used, 
by  judiciously  distributing  in  every  district  five  thou- 
sand, or  even  one  thousand  pounds  annually,  on  such 
objects  ?  But  where  is  the  man  or  the  Christian  to  be 
found  who  pants  after  such  celestial  enjoyment  ? 

In  the  exercise  of  this  disposition  we  become  imita- 
tors of  God,  and  are  assimilated  to  his  character. 
When  he  brought  creation  into  existence,  he  could 
have  no  possible  view,  in  launching  innumerable  worlds 
into  the  depths  of  space,  but  to  display  the  glories  of 


AS    TO    THEIR    AFFECTIONS,    CONDUCT,    &C,        301 

his  nature,  and  to  confer  benefits  on  their  inhabitants. 
Could  we  wing  our  flight  through  the  regions  of  im- 
mensity, and  survey  the  various  ranks  of  the  population 
of  the  universe — could  we  mingle  with  the  hosts  of 
angels  and  archangels,  and  witness  their  enjoyments, 
we  should  find,  that  all  the  arrangements  of  the  Al- 
mighty, in  reference  to  their  situation  and  activities  have 
a  tendency  to  contribute  to  their  felicity — that  his  be- 
nevolence is  displayed  wherever  matter  exists,  and 
wherever  there  are  sentient  and  intellectual  beings  to 
participate  of  his  bounty.  He  is  not  adored  by  the 
heavenly  host,  or  by  any  of  his  creatures,  "  as  if  he 
needed  any  thing"  to  augment  his  glory,  "  seeing  he 
giveth  to  all,  hfe  and  breath,  and  all  things."  He  is  de- 
clared in  scripture  to  be  "abundant  in  goodness," 
"  good  to  all,"  continually  "  doing  good,"  and  that  "  his 
tender  mercies  are  over  all  his  works."  Now,  we  are 
commanded  to  be  imitators  of  God  in  his  universal 
beneficence.  "  Be  ye  merciful,  as  your  Father  in 
heaven  is  merciful ;  love  your  enemies,  and  do  good  to 
them  that  hate  you ;  that  ye  m.ay  be  the  children  of 
your  Father  who  is  in  heaven  ;  for  he  maketh  his  sun  to 
rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  on 
the  just,  and  on  the  unjust."  By  acting  in  this  charac- 
ter, we  are  likewise  imitators  of  the  blessed  Redeemer, 
"  who  went  about  doing  good"  to  all  classes  of  men, 
without  distinction  of  rank  or  nation.  Though  he  was 
"the  brightness  of  the  Father's  glory,"  yet,  "for  our 
sakes  he  became  poor,  and  took  upon  him  the  form  of 
a  servant."  His  w^hole  life  w^as  an  uninterrupted  se- 
ries of  beneficent  actions.  He  had  compassion  on  the 
ignorant  and  the  distressed ;  he  fed  the  hungry  multi- 
tudes in  a  desert ;  he  opened  the  eyes  of  the  bhnd, 
unstopped  the  ears  of  the  deaf,  made  the  lame  man  to 
leap  as  an  hart,  and  the  tongue  of  the  dumb  to  sing. 
He  restored  to  disconsolate  parents  the  children  whom 
death  had  snatched  from  their  embrace  ;  he  healed  all 
manner  of  sickness  and  disease  among  the  people,  and 
none  ever  applied  to  him  for  relief,  who  was  refused 
assistance  or  spurned  from  his  presence.  And  now 
that  "  he  has  entered  into  heaven  to  appear  in  the  pres- 
26 


302    CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  CHRISTIANS  AND  OTHERS, 

ence  of  God  for  us,"  he  is  engaged  in  similar  benevo- 
lent services.  For,  we  are  told,  that  "  the  Lamb  in  the 
midst  of  the  throne  feeds,"  the  redeemed  inhabitants, 
"  and  leads  them  to  living  fountains  of  water,  and  w^ipes 
away  tears  from  every  eye."  We  are  therefore  ex- 
horted to  "  be  followers  of  Christ  as  dear  children,  and 
to  walk  in  love  ;  for  he  hath  set  us  an  example  that  we 
should  walk  in  his  steps." 

Again,  in  the  exercise  of  the  disposition  to  communi- 
cate happiness,  we  imitate  the  angelic  tribes,  who  are 
incessantly  engaged  in  similar  services.  Those  glori- 
ous beings,  not  only  contribute  to  the  happiness  of  each 
other,  but  rejoice  to  wing  their  downward  flight  to 
communicate  messages  of  mercy  to  mankind.  Al- 
though they  dwell  amidst  the  splendors  of  eternal  day, 
they  refuse  not  to  descend  for  a  season  to  our  wretched 
world.  They  entered  the  lowly  cot  of  the  Virgin  Ma- 
ry, with  a  message  of  joy ;  they  flew  sw^iftly  to  Daniel, 
to  explain  his  vision  ;  they  unbarred  the  prison  gates  to 
rescue  Peter  from  his  enemies ;  they  comforted  Paul 
with  the  assurance  of  divine  protection,  while  tossing 
on  the  raging  billows ;  and,  in  numerous  ways  with 
which  we  are  unacquainted,  "  they  encamp  around 
those  who  fear  the  Lord,"  and  are  "  ministering  spirits 
to  the  heirs  of  salvation."  In  short,  heaven,  whither 
we  profess  to  be  journeying,  is  a  scene  of  pure  benefi- 
cence. In  that  happy  world,  the  spirits  of  the  just  will 
spend  an  immensity  of  duration,  in  an  endless  diffusion 
of  benefits  among  countless  orders  of  holy  intelligences  ; 
and  while  they  derive  enjoyment  from  blessings  con- 
ferred by  kindred  spirits,  they  will  still  find,  that  "  it  is 
more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive."  For  in  so  doing, 
we  most  nearly  resemble  the  original  source  of  felicity, 
who  is  "  the  blessed  and  only  potentate,"  supreme  in 
happiness,  yet  incessantly  diffusing  benefits  among  un- 
numbered beings,  throughout  the  whole  extent  of  his 
universal  empire. 

Were  such  dispositions  to  be  generally  prevalent 
among  men,  what  a  happy  world  should  we  look  upon, 
compared  with  that  which  we  now  behold  !  Were  it 
universally  prevalent,  into  what  a  glorious  scene  would 


AS    TO    THEIR   AFFECTIONS,    CONDUCT,    &C.         303 

society  be  transformed !  Heaven  would  descend  to 
earth,  and  an  image  would  be  presented  of  the  inter- 
courses and  the  joys  of  the  blessed  above.  And,  what 
should  hinder  such  a  disposition  from  being  universally 
displayed,  but  the  selfishness  and  depravity  of  man  ? 
Why  may  not  our  world  be  filled  with  intelligent  be- 
ings, devoted  to  such  noble,  and  god-like  aims,  as  well 
as  with  tribes  of  selfish  demons  ?  There  is  no  physical 
impossibility  to  prevent  such  a  blessed  transformation. 
But  the  WILL  of  man  stands  as  a  barrier  ;  he  perceives 
not  in  what  his  true  happiness  consists ;  "  he  loves  dark- 
ness rather  than  light,*'  and  misery  more  than  happi- 
ness, and  will  not  bend  his  ears  to  the  instructions  of 
heavenly  wisdom.  No  man,  however,  ought  to  assume 
the  name  of  a  Christian  in  whom  this  benevolent  and 
godlike  disposition  does  not  exist.  Were  Christianity 
universally  diffused,  and  its  holy  principles  recognised 
as  the  basis  of  human  action,  we  should,  ere  long,  be- 
hold such  displays  of  beneficence  in  all  the  regions  of 
the  globe,  and  among  every  kindred  and  tribe  and  peo- 
ple ;  and  the  sighs  of  the  disconsolate,  the  groans  of  the 
oppressed,  and  the  shouts  of  warriors  would  be  heard 
no  more. 

Let  me  beseech  you,  then,  my  Christian  brethren, 
to  cultivate  this  benignant  principle,  and  show  to  the 
world  that  you  are  actuated  by  higher  aims  than  the 
sons  of  avarice,  and  that  you  are  of  one  heart  and  affec- 
tion with  the  angels  of  light.  To  do  good,  and  to  com- 
municate, forget  not,  for  with  such  sacrifices,  God  is 
well  pleased.  And,  if  you  are  thus  disposed,  you  will 
come  forward,  with  cheerfulness,  in  every  work  of  uni- 
versal philanthrophy,  and  will  not  grudge  any  of  the 
small  sacrifices  we  have  now  proposed.  You  will  thus 
be  instrumental  in  augmenting  the  sum  of  happiness  on 
earth,  and  prepared  for  engaging  in  the  benevolent  em- 
ployments of  the  inhabitants  of  heaven. 

4.  Consider  the  jieeting  nature  of  earthly  enjoy- 
ments, and  how  soon  you  may  be  called  to  part  with 
every  thing  you  now  possess. 

You  may  be  disposed,  at  first  view,  to  think  it  hard 


304    CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  CHRISTIANS  AND  OTHERS, 

to  part  with  a  hundred  or  two  hundred  pounds  for  the 
good  of  others,  while  you  do  not  know  how  much  you 
may  require  for  yourself  and  family,  at  some  future  pe- 
riod. But  you  ought  to  recollect,  that  we  should  be  di- 
rected by  what  appears  to  he  present  duty,  without 
looking  forward  to  mere  possibilities,  or  contingencies 
which  may  never  happen,  and  should  trust  in  God,  as 
to  all  the  future  arrangements  of  our  lot  in  this  world. 
While  we  perplex  ourselves  with  anxieties  about  futu- 
rity, that  futurity,  in  relation  to  the  present  scene,  may 
never  arrive.  In  such  an  hour  as  we  think  not  the 
messenger  of  death  may  make  his  appearance  to  sum- 
mon us  to  the  world  of  spirits.  So  numerous  are  in- 
stances of  this  description,  and  so  frequently  reported 
in  our  daily  records  of  intelligence,  that  no  one  can,  with 
any  show  of  reason,  flatter  himself  that  he  shall  cer- 
tainly live  to  enjoy  a  long  succession  of  months  or 
years.  And,  should  the  grim  messenger  arrive  at  a 
time  when  you  have  been  withholding  your  wealth 
from  benevolent  objects,  and  laying  it  up  for  future 
use,  how  many  painful  reflections  may  arise  to  embit- 
ter your  comforts  and  shake  your  hopes,  on  the  eve  of 
your  depai'ture — nay,  to  produce  painful  feelings,  if 
that  be  possible,  even  on  your  entrance  to  the  world  of 
bliss.*  When  you  have  the  immediate  prospect  of  bid- 
ding a  last  adieu  to  all  earthly  riches  and  grandeur,  they 
will  appear  of  a  very  different  value  from  that  by  which 

*  It  is  not  altogether  improbable,  that  certain  painful  feelings  or  reflec- 
tions, may  occasionally  arise  in  the  mind,  even  in  heaven  itself.  We 
have  no  reason  to  believe,  that  it  is  such  a  state  of  absolute  perfection, 
at  least  on  our  first  entrance  to  it,  as  entirely  to  prevent  some  transient 
uneasy  reflections.  The  saints  will  carry  with  them  into  that  state  all 
their  recollections  in  reference  to  their  dispositions  and  conduct  in  the 
present  world,  and,  therefore,  it  is  not  unlikely,  that  the  sins  they  com- 
mitted in  this  life,  and  particularly,  the  little  zeal  they  displayed  in  pro- 
moting the  interests  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom,  after  they  were  brought 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth — may  occasionally  produce  an  unpleas- 
ant feeling  in  the  midst  of  all  their  joys.  This  idea  seems  to  be  included 
in  the  representation  given  in  the  parable  of  the  talents  respecting  the 
degrees  of  honor  to  which  persons  v/ill  be  advanced  in  proportion  to 
their  zeal  and  activity  in  the  cause  of  God,  while  upon  earth.  But  all 
such  uneasy  reflections,  should  they  arise,  will  only  tend  to  lead  the 
soul  to  higher  admiration  of  the  boundless  and  unmerited  love  of  God 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord. 


AS  TO  THEIR  AFFECTIONS,  CONDUCT,  &C.    305 

they  a.re  now  estimated.  At  that  period,  you  will  look 
upon  them  in  the  hght  in  which  a  great  man  in  a  neigh- 
boring country,  viewed  some  extraordinary  mark  of 
distinction  and  honor  sent  him  as  he  lay  on  his  death 
bed.  "Alas!  (said  he,  looking  coldly  upon  it)  this  is 
a  mighty  fine  thing  here  in  this  country,  but  I  am  fast 
bound  for  a  country  where  it  will  be  of  no  service  to 
me."  Reflect  then,  my  Christian  friend,  on  the  views 
you  will  have  of  riches,  at  the  hour  of  death,  and  let 
this  consideration  excite  you,  while  in  the  vigor  of  health, 
"to  devise  liberal  things"  in  regard  to  the  further- 
ance of  every  philantlii'opic  object,  so  that  no  bitter  re- 
grets may  disturb  your  last  moments,  and  that  "«?i 
abundant  entrance  may  be  ministered  to  you  into  the 
everlasting  kingdom  ojf  your  Lord  and  Saviour." 

5.  Consider  the  promises  and  declarations  of  God  in 
reference  to  the  certainty  of  temporal  support. 

There  is  scarcely  any  thing  that  causes  so  much 
anxious  thought  and  perplexity  to  mankind  in  general, 
as  the  consideration — how  they  are  to  acquire  the 
means  of  subsistence  ?  and,  on  this  account,  they  have 
always  an  argument  at  hand,  against  distributing  then* 
money  for  public  and  religious  objects.  But  there  is 
nothing  more  clear  and  express  than  the  promises  made 
to  the  Christian  in  reference  to  his  temporal  support, 
so  that  while  he  is  diligent  in  his  business  and  conducts 
his  affairs  with  prudence  and  discretion,  he  needs  never 
harrass  his  mind  with  anxious  thoughts  about  future 
subsistence.  The  following  are  a  selection  of  those 
divine  declarations  on  which  his  faith  and  hope  may 
confidently  rely,  as  the  words  of  him  who  is  immuta- 
ble, and  who  keepeth  covenant  and  mercy  to  a  thou- 
sand generations. 

"  The  earth  is  the  Lord's  and  the  fulness  thereof. 
Every  beast  of  the  forest  is  mine,  and  the  cattle  on  a 
thousand  hills.  Honor  the  Lord  with  thy  substance,  and 
with  the  first  fruits  of  all  thine  increase ;  so  shall  thy 
barns  be  filled  with  plenty,  and  thy  presses  shall  burst 
out  with  new  wine.  Better  is  a  little  with  the  fear  of 
26* 


306    CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  CHRISTIANS  AND  OTHERS, 

the  Lord  than  great  riches  and  trouble  therewith.  A 
little  that  a  righteous  man  hath  is  better  than  the  riches 
of  many  wicked.  I  have  been  young,  (says  the 
Psalmist,)  and  now  am  old,  yet  have  I  not  seen  the 
righteous  forsaken,  nor  his  seed  begging  bread. 
The  liberal  soul  shall  he  made  fat,  and^e  that  icatereth 
shall  he  watered  also  himself.  Thy  bread  shall  be  given 
thee,  and  thy  water  shall  be  sure.  Take  no  anxious 
thought  (says  our  Saviour)  for  your  life,  what  ye  shall 
eat  or  what  ye  shall  drink,  nor  yet  for  your  body  what 
ye  shall  put  on.  Behold  the  fowls  of  the  air,  for  they 
sow  not,  neither  do  they  reap,  nor  gather  into  barns, 
yet  your  heavenly  father  feedeth  them.  Are  ye  not 
much  better  than  they  ?  And  why  take  ye  thought  for 
raiment?  Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field  how  they 
grow  ;  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin.  And  yet  I 
say  unto  you  that  even  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was 
not  arrayed  like  one  of  these.  Wherefore,  if  God  so 
clothe  the  grass  of  the  field,  which  to-day  is,  and  to- 
morrow is  cast  into  the  oven,  shall  he  not  much  more 
clothe  you,  O  ye  of  little  faith  ?  The  time  is  short, — it 
remaineth  that  they  who  weep  be  as  though  they  wept 
not ;  and  they  that  rejoice  as  though  they  rejoiced  not ; 
and  they  that  buy  as  though  they  possessed  not ;  and 
they  that  use  this  world  as  not  abusing  it ;  for  the  fash- 
ion of  this  world  passeth  away.  He  who  soweth  spa- 
ringly shall  reap  also  sparingly ;  and  he  who  soweth 
bountifully  shall  reap  also  bountifully;  for  God  loveth 
a  cheerful  giver.  And  God  is  able  to  make  all  grace 
abound  toward  you,  that  ye  always,  having  all  suffi- 
ciency in  all  things,  may  abound  to  every  good  work. 
Be  careful  for  nothing,  but  in  every  thing,  by  prayer 
and  supplication  with  thanksgiving,  let  your  requests 
be  made  known  to  God.  I  have  learned  (says  Paul) 
in  whatsoever  state  I  am,  therewith  to  be  content.  I 
know  both  how  to  be  abased,  and  I  know  how  to 
abound ;  every  where,  and  in  all  things,  I  am  instructed 
both  to  be  full  and  to  be  hungry,  both  to  abound  and 
to  suffer  need.  But  I  have  all  and  abound,  and  my 
God  shall  supply  all  your  need,  according  to  his  riches 
in  glory  by  Christ  Jesus.     Godliness  with  contentment 


AS    TO    THEIR   AFFECTIONS,    CONDUCT,    &C.        207 

is  great  gain  ;  for  we  brought  nothing  into  this  world, 
and  it  is  certain  we  can  carry  nothing  out ;  and  having 
food  and  raiment,  let  us  therewith  be  content.  Charge 
them  that  are  rich  in  this  world  that  they  be  not  high 
minded,  nor  trust  in  uncertain  riches  ;  but  in  the  Hving 
God  w^ho  giveth  us  all  things  richly  to  enjoy — that  they 
do  good,  that  they  be  rich  in  good  works,  ready  to  dis- 
tribute, willing  to  communicate,  laying  up  in  store  for 
themselves  a  good  foundation  against  the  time  to  come." 
The  ancient  worthies  "took  joyfully  the  spoiling  of 
their  goods,  knowing  in  themselves  that  they  had  in 
heaven  a  better  and  a  more  enduring  substance." 
Moses  "  esteemed  the  reproach  of  Christ  greater 
riches  than  all  the  treasures  of  Egypt."  "  Let  your  con- 
versation be  without  covetousness,  and  be  content  with 
such  things  as  ye  have ;  for  he  hath  said,  I  will  never 
leave  thee  nor  forsake  thee.  Humble  yourselves  under 
the  mighty  hand  of  God,  casting  all  your  care  upon 
him,  for  he  careth  for  you.  A  good  man  showeth 
favor  and  lendeth ;  he  will  guide  his  affairs  with  dis- 
cretion. He  hath  dispersed,  he  hath  given  to  the  poor ; 
his  righteousness  endureth  forever.  Surely  he  shall 
not  be  moved  forever.  The  righteous  shall  be  in  ever- 
lasting remembrance." 

Such  Divine  declarations  as  the  above,  should  have 
a  powerful  influence  on  the  mind  of  every  Christian^ 
in  reconciling  him  to  his  situation  in  life,  and  to  the 
measure  of  wealth  which  Providence  has  allotted  him ; 
and,  in  inspiring  him  with  a  noble  liberality  in  the  dis- 
tribution of  his  riches,  without  fear  of  consequences^ 
For  God  has  pledged  himself  in  these  promises  and  de- 
clarations, that  they  who  tnist  in  Him,  and  conduct 
their  affairs  with  discretion,  shall  want  for  nothing  that 
is  truly  desirable  in  their  pilgrimage  through  this  world. 
"  The  young  lions  may  lack  and  suffer  hunger  ;  but 
they  that  seek  the  Lord  shall  not  want  any  good  thing." 
All  the  saints,  in  every  age,  have  in  some  measure  ex- 
perienced the  truth  of  these  declarations,  and,  in  many 
remarkable  instances,  they  have  been  strikingly  fulfil- 
led, in  cases  where  all  prospects  of  subsistence  had 
disappeared,  and  all  hopes  of  deliverance  had  nearly 


308     CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  CHRISTIANS  AND  OTHERS, 

failed ;  as  might  have  been  illustrated  by  many  inter- 
esting facts  recorded  in  the  history  of  the  church,  and 
of  individual  Christians,  had  our  limits  permitted. 

I  shall  conclude  with  the  following  sentiments, — and 
an  anecdote  stated  by  Dr.  Witherspoon. 

There  are  those  who  are  rich  in  their  poverty,  be- 
cause they  are  content,  and  use  generously  what  they 
have ;  there  are  those,  who,  in  the  midst  of  their  rich- 
es, are  really  poor,  from  their  insatiable  covetousness, 
or  profusion. — Calmet. 

The  prayer  which  Socrates  taught  his  pupil  Alcibi- 
ades,  is  remarkable,  and  deserves  the  consideration 
even  of  a  Christian : — "  That  he  should  beseech  the 
Supreme  God,  to  give  him  what  was  good  for  him, 
though  he  should  not  ask  it ;  and  to  withhold  from  him 
whatever  would  be  hurtful,  though  he  should  be  so 
foolish  as  to  pray  for  it." 

The  following  piece  of  private  history  that  happened 
in  Great  Britain,  is  related  by  the  late  Dr.  Witherspoon, 
in  one  of  his  sermons. 

"  A  gentleman  of  very  considerable  fortune,  but  a 
stranger  to' either  personal  or  family  religion,  one  eve- 
ning, took  a  solitary  walk  through  a  part  of  his  own 
grounds.  He  happened  to  come  near  to  a  mean  hut, 
where  a  poor  man  with  a  numerous  family  lived,  who 
earned  their  bread  by  daily  labor.  He  heard  a  voice 
pretty  loud  and  continued.  Not  knowing  what  it  w^s, 
curiosity  prompted  him  to  listen.  The  man,  who  was 
piously  disposed,  happened  to  be  at  ^jrayer  with  his 
family.  So  soon  as  he  could  distinguish  the  words,  he 
heard  him  giving  thanks  with  great  affection  to  God, 
for  the  goodness  of  his  providence  in  giving  them  food 
to  eat,  and  raiment  to  put  on,  and  in  supplying  them 
with  what  was  necessary  and  comfortable  in  the  pres- 
ent life.  He  was  immediately  struck  with  astonish- 
ment, and  confusion,  and  said  to  himself,  'does  this 
poor  man,  who  has  nothing  but  the  meanest  fare,  and 
that  purchased  by  severe  labor,  give  thanks  to  God  for 


AS  TO  THEIR   AFFECTIONS,    CONDUCT,    &C.  309 

his  goodness  to  himself  and  family,  and  I,  who  enjoy 
ease,  and  honor,  and  every  thing  that  is  grateful  and 
desirable,  have  hardly  ever  bent  my  knee,  or  made  any 
acknowledgment  to  my  Maker  and  Preserver  ? '  It 
pleased  God,  that  this  providential  occurrence  proved 
the  means  of  bringing  him  to  a  real  and  lasting  sense 
of  God  and  religion." 


APPENDIX. 


The  following  statements  extracted  from  the  "Report  of  the 
Commissioners,"  who  were  sent  to  Ireland  to  investigate  the 
state  of  the  lower  classes  in  that  country,  exhibit  a  picture  of 
the  effects  of  covetousness,  combined  with  its  usual  accompa- 
niment— apathy  in  regard  to  the  sufferings  of  others,  which 
would  disgrace  a  Pagan  land,  and  much  more  a  Christian 
land. 

These  Commissioners  appear  to  have  conducted  their  inqui- 
ries openly  and  fairly.  They  held  their  stitings  in  upwards  of 
one  hundred  parishes.  They  were  sent  through  the  whole  of 
the  four  provinces  of  Ireland,  and  obtained  information  from 
all  ranks  and  classes,  from  "  the  highest  landlord,  down  to  the 
lowest  beggar." 

The  details  stated  below,  are  only  specimens  of  hundreds  of 
similar  details,  equally  horrible  and  revolting,  which  are  scat- 
tered throughout  a  quarto  volume  of  between  four  and  five  hun- 
dred pages.  The  answers  to  the  questions  put,  taken  viva  voce^ 
ire  printed  veTbatim,  under  the  following  seven  heads.  1. 
Deserted  and  orphan  children.  2.  Illegitimate  children  and 
their  mothers.  3.  Widows  with  families  of  young  children. 
1.  Impotent  through  age  and  infirmity.  5.  Sick,  poor.  6.  Able- 
bodied  out  of  work.     7.  Vagrants. 

1.  The  following  extracts  relate  to  icidows  with  children. 

They  are  seldom  half  fed,  say  a  cloud  of  witnesses.  One 
meal  of  potatoes  a  day,  is  the  most  they  can  expect,  eked  out 
with  unwholesome  weeds.  Mr.  Cotter,  rector  of  a  parish  in 
the  County  of  Cork,  says,  "  One  evening  a  parcel  of  workmen 
3arae  to  me  for  soup,  which  I  was  in  the  habit  of  giving.  Some 
cabbage  stumps  that  were  thrown  out  of  the  kitchen  were  ly- 
ing. The  pigs  and  fowls  had  picked  them  almost  quite  bare. 
I  saw  myself  six  or  seven  of  the  poor  women  turn  their  fa- 
ses  to  the  wall,  and  eat  the  stumps  the  pigs  had  left.    Peggy 


312  APPENDIX.       . 

Kiernan,  a  beggar  woman,  says,  the  widows  get,  when  at  work 
for  the  farmers,  lie/,  per  day.  They  rarely  beg  in  public,  un- 
less, when  their  children  are  so  young  they  cannot  leave 
them." 

The  Assistant  Commissioners  found  widow  Halloran  work- 
ing a  quilt.  She  worked  eight  hours  a  day,  and  it  would  take 
her  a  week  to  finish  it,  and  all  she  had  bargained  for,  was  one 
shilling.  A  man  who  happened  to  be  standing  by,  said  he 
would  not  give  two  pence  a  day,  for  what  any  Avidow  in  the 
parish  would  earn  by  her  labor.  Parochial  assistance  is  un- 
known, and  the  question,  whether  the  absentee  proprietors  who 
hold  nearly  the  entire  parish,  ever  contribute  to  the  relief  of 
those  who  pay  them  rent, — was  answered  with  a  laugh,  that 
expressed  astonishment  at  the  thought  of  such  a  thing  being 
entertained. 

When  the  cholera  appeared  at  Cork,  a  small  hospital  was 
established,  and  a  few  patients  admitted  into  it.  Notwith- 
standing the  great  dread  that  was  entertained  of  the  disease, 
three  poor  loidows  feigned  sickness,  in  order  to  gain  admis- 
sion ;  one,  the  widow  Buck,  had  two  children.  When  these 
women  were  detected,  they  refused  to  go  out.  In  the  county 
of  Limerick,  there  has  been  no  widow  driven  by  her  necessi- 
ties to  prostitution,  though  one  of  these  virtuous  poor  women 
states,  that  she  lives  in  a  hovel  without  a  roof.  "  I  have  nq 
house,"  says  she,  "but  I  got  a  few  poles,  and  made  a  narrow 
shed,  by  placing  them  against  the  wall  and  covering  them 
with  loose  weeds.  The  end  is  open  to  the  air,  and  there  is  no 
door."  She  expects,  with  her  boy,  to  pass  the  winter  tender 
the  same  shed. 

Even  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  where  Protestants  chiefly  re- 
side, similar  privations  are  found  to  prevail.  The  following  is 
a  picture  of  a  Londonderry  widow. 

The  Assistant  Commissioners  visited  one  widow.  She  liv- 
ed in  a  wretched  hovel  on  the  road-side,  about  half  a  mile  from 
Dungiven.  There  was  a  little  straw  in  a  corner,  which,  cov- 
ered with  a  thin  linen  quilt,  served  as  a  bed.  Over  two  or 
three  kindled  turf,  a  girl  of  about  ten  years  of  age,  was  bend- 
ing, and  a  middle-aged  woman  was  sitting,  spinning,  in  the 
centre  of  the  hut.  She  said  that  the  girl  was  the  youngest  of 
eight  children,  and  was  only  a  month  old,  when,  by  her  hus- 
band's death,  she  was  left  wholly  dependent  on  her  own  exer- 
tions. None  of  the  children  were  at  that  time  able  to  assist 
her;  and  the  only  employment  open  to  her  was  spinning,  by 
which  she  could  then  make  4rf.  a  day.  By  her  spinning,  which' 
was  gradually  diminished  to  2d.  a  day,  she  brought  up  .her' 
eight  children,  sending  them  out  to  service  as  they  grew  Up. 
They  are  now  married,  or  engaged  in  service.  The  three  eld- 
est married  when  they  were  under  eighteen.  "  They  never," 
said  she,  "  got  a  noggin  of  broth  in  charity ;  nor  did  a  handful 


APPENDIX.  313 

of  potatoes  badly  got,  ever  enter  my  house.  I  always  kept  the 
roof  over  them,  and  prevented  their  begging."  She  never  had 
any  land ;  her  landlord  having  taken  from  her,  that  which 
her  husband  held  ;  but  he  left  her  the  house,  half  of  which 
was  blown  down,  and  in  ihe  remaining  half,  she  still  lived. 
She  seemed  cheerful  and  contented,  but  said,  she  had  gone 
through  unutterable  hardships.  "  Many  a  time,"  said  she,  "  a 
neighbor  woman  that  lived  with  me,  did  not  know  that  I  had 
only  eaten  two  or  three  potatoes  that  day,  and,  at  night,  I  used 
to  be  up  two  or  three  limes,  when  I  could  not  sleep,  thinking 
of  my  misfortunes,  and  looking  oat  for  the  day-light  to  begin 
working." 

Widow  McCroio,  another  inhabitant  of  the  north,  stated, 
"  The  rain  comes  in  through  the  roof  of  my  hut.  I  sleep  on 
the  ground,  which  is  constantly  wet,  and  have  not  so  much 
straw  as  would  fill  a  hat.  I  have  but  a  single  fold  of  a  blanket 
to  cover  my  whole  family.  I  have  had  it  for  eight  years.  My 
children  are  naked.  I  have  a  lump  on  the  shoulder,  for  which 
I  cannot  get  medical  assistance."  It  was  agreed  by  all  pres- 
ent, that  few  widows  can  be  better  than  this  woman. 

Tlie  gentry,  says  the  Report,  scarcely  ever  assist  the  poor 
widows,  but  the  laborers  will  often  work  a  day  for  them  gratis 
in  building  a  hovel.  Some  of  these  widows  have  too  much 
pride  to  beg,  and  pine  in  hopeless  misery,  in  some  wretched 
cabin.  In  the  single  parish  of  Killaloe,  in  the  county  of  Clare, 
the  R.  C.  Priest,  speaks  of  sixty  widows  in  this  destitute 
state. 

"I  had  not,"  says  Mary  Slattery,  ''a  sod  of  turf  to  warm  a 
drink  for  my  sick  child.  All  I  had  to-day,  was  four  cold  pota- 
toes. -The  rain  comes  down  through  the  roof,  and  my  lodger 
never  slept  a  wink  last  night,  trying  how  to  keep  the  bed 
clothes  dry.  As  God  knows  my  heart,  I  spent  the  night  on  the 
hearth-stone,  crying  and  praying  that  God  would  look  down 
on  me  and  my  children." 

As  to  laying  by  any  thing  when  in  employment,  that  is  out 
of  the  question.  "No  man,"  says  Mr.  Donaugh,  "could  lay  up 
any  thing  for  his  old  age,  unless  he  have  an  old  lease.  In  oth- 
er cases,  there  is  no  chance  of  it." 

The  effect  of  this  wretched  life,  and  diet,  is  too  apparent, 
and  cuts  off  the  sufferers  before  the  usual  period  of  human  life. 
Laborers  usually  break  down  at  the  age  of  fifty-five,  from  the 
effects  of  scanty  food,  and  exposure  to  the  weather.  The  same 
is  reported  of  mechanics.  If  there  is  a  bridge  to  be  built,  there 
will  not  be  a  man  above  fifty-five  upon  it.  Poverty  bends  their 
spirits  and  breaks  them  down.  It  appears  from  the  evidence, 
that  the  custom  of  supporting  their  parents,  which  used  to  be 
the  pride  of  the  Irish  peasants,  is  decaying  fast,  from  the  pres- 
sure of  the  times,  and  incapacity.  Laborers  supporting  their 
parents,  are  often  reduced  to  one  meal  of  dry  potatoes.    It 

27 


314  APPENDIX. 

sometimes  comes  to  counting  the  potatoes.  Then,  as  the  sec- 
ond family  grows  large,  the  daughter  in-law  begins  to  grum- 
ble. She  will  not  see  her  children  starved  to  feed  her  hus- 
band's parents.  "  Being  always  at  home,  she  is  apt  to  find  her 
husband's  father  in  the  way,  and  you  will  see  the  old  man 
cowering  in  the  chimney,  as  if  he  were  endeavoring  to  hide 
himself  from  her."  An  old  man  says  himself,  "  the  few  pota- 
toes I  eat,  sir,  cannot  do  me  good,  for  I  am  afraid  they  are 
grudged  me,  and  what  is  more,  I  grudge  them  to  myself,  when 
I  see  so  many  mouths  opening  for  them."  One  witness  states, 
that  "  the  turning  out  of  the  father  is  so  common,  that  the  con- 
trary is  the  exception." 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Gibson  mentions  the  following  case.  "  The 
wife  and  family  of  a  man  who  had  been  respectable,  died  here 
of  loant^  a  short  time  since.  They  could  not  get  any  thing  to 
eat  at  times,  more  than  once  in  two  days.  They  died  rather 
than  beg.''''  Such  cases,  alas !  are  by  no  means  scarce.  Mr. 
Riley  says,  "  two  months  ago,  I  saw  an  old  woman  eighty 
years  of  age,  going  over  the  bridge  to  beg  her  breakfast.  When 
she  got  to  the  top,  she  stopped  to  rest  herself,  and,  when  I 
came  up  to  her,  she  was  dead."  Dr.  Walsh,  M.  D.,  states, 
"  that  in  his  parish  in  Kildare,  many  have  died  of  actual  star- 
vation." 

Yet,  in  a  country  where  such  scenes  are  daily  passing,  all 
the  great  land-owners,  are  averse  to  the  introduction  of  poor 
laws,  and  for  this  most  selfish  reason,  that  the  principal  burden 
of  supporting  the  poor,  would,  (as  it  ought,)  fall  upon  them- 
selves. It  is  curious  to  remark,  that  the  farmers  and  shop-keep- 
ers, in  a  word,  the  middle  and  producing  classes  of  the  Irish 
community,  approve  of  some  system  of  poor  laws,  while  the 
gentry  as  decidedly  set  their  face  against  any  such  system. 
"  The  gentry  never  give  to  beggar's"  says  one  of  the  witnes- 
ses, "  high  walls  surround  their  demesnes,  and  a  dog  is  kept 
at  the  gates  to  prevent  the  entrance  of  a  beggar.  Absentees, 
even  in  times  of  dearth,  or  infectious  disease,  send  over  no 
subscriptions.^^  "They  send  over  nothing  but  latitats  and 
ejectments,"  says  the  Rev.  Mr.  Burke.  The  evidence  of  Dr. 
Mc  Hale,  R.  C.  Archbishop  of  Tuam,  written  by  himself,  is 
remarkable  on  this  point.  "  The  gentry,"  says  the  Archbish- 
op, "  scarcely  ever  subscribe  regularly  for  their  support,  even 
in  the  seasons  of  appalling  distress,  (1832  and  '34,)  there  were 
individuals  of  large  fortunes,  who  did  not  subscribe  one  shil- 
ling. The  burden  is  thrown  by  the  affluent  gentry  on  their 
poorer  neighbors ;  orders  are  often  issued  by  the  proprietors 
of  large  mansions,  not  to  suffer  such  a  nuisance  as  a  beg- 
gar, to  approach  the  gates.  I  could  name  the  persons.  The 
general  opmion  is  favorable  to  a  provision  for  the  poor,  in  case 
the  burden  do  not  fall  on  those  classes  that  are  already  taxed 
for  their  support.    It  is  in  vain  to  make  a  provision  for  the 


APPENDIX.  315 

poor,  unless  the  property  of  the  absentee,  and  the  church  lands 
are  almost  exclusively  fixed  with  the  amount;  otherwise,  such 
a  provision  w^ould  be  no  relief.  All  that  could  be  gained  by 
taxing  the  industrious  classes,  would  be  to  make  that  compul- 
sory which  is  now  voluntary.  If  the  properties  of  the  absent- 
ees are  taxed,  and  the  church  lands  be  re-appropriated  to  their 
original  destination,  a  large  fund,  now  lying  idle,  will  be  appli- 
ed to  the  support  of  the  people." 

In  the  examinations  in  the  county  of  Longford,  Mr.  K 

said,  he  represented  the  feelings  of  a  great  number,  when  he 
expressed  himself  "in  favor  of  a  support  for  the  infirm,  espe- 
pecially  from  a  tax  on  absentees,  one  of  whom  draws  £10,000 
per  annum  from  the  county,  and  £3000  from  the  parish,  with- 
out contributing  any  thing  for  the  support  of  the  poor.^^ 

2.  Under  the  head  of  "  sick  poor,^^  we  find  that  no  relief  ex- 
ists for  the  poor,  when  sick  or  diseased. 

If  the  disease  be  contagious,  they  are  either  put  out  of  the 
cabin  into  a  temporary  hut,  or  the  rest  of  the  family  leave  it 
and  them.  Any  nourishment  the  neighbors  may  give  them,  is 
left  at  the  door,  and  the  creatures  crawl  out  to  take  it  in.  Ma- 
ny have  been  disabled  for  life,  by  scrambling  out  of  bed  to  get 
what  is  left  for  them  at  the  door.  "  The  day  before  yester- 
day,'' says  a  witness,  "  a  woman  coming  from  Galway,  was 
taken  ill  on  the  road.  The  people  thought  she  had  the  cholera, 
and  refused  to  let  her  into  their  houses.  She  lay  by  the  side 
of  a  ditch  and  died  in  the  morning."  "Our  diseases,"  says 
Mr.  Powel,  "  are  caused  by  cold,  hunger,  and  nakedness.  The 
poor  man  on  regaining  his  appetite,  finds  nothing  to  eat.  A 
little  food  would  restore  him,  but  he  sinks  for  the  want  of  it. 
People  are  constantly  tapped  for  a  dropsy  arising  from  star- 
vation.'^ "I  have  frequently,"  says  Dr.  Walsh,  "found  the 
sick  lying  on  the  bare  damp  ground,  straw  being  considered 
a  luxury  which  the  pig  only,  which  pays  the  rent,  has  a  right 
to  enjoy.''"'  In  some  places,  there  are  charitable  loan  funds ; 
"  but,"  says  a  witness,  "  the  gentry  and  landlords  seldom  sub- 
scribe.'''' 

When  we  go  to  beg  at  a  gentleman's  house,  says  Pat  Mitch- 
ell, beggarman,  it  is  the  wife  that  asks  relief,  and  the  answer 
frequently  is,  "go  from  the  door,  woman."  "  The  farmers  are 
kindlier  by  far.  It  is  the  humble  sort  that  live  on  the  road-side, 
that  are  really  good  to  us ;  but  half  the  country,  God  help 
them  !  have  no  Christianity  in  them  at  alV  Molamey  says, 
that,  in  the  mountains  of  this  parish,  when  the  potatoes  fail 
them,  they  bleed  the  cattle,  and  eat  the  boiled  blood,  some- 
times mixed  with  meal,  but  oftener without  it;  he  has  himself 
known  the  same  beast  to  have  been  bled  three  times  in  one 
season;  they  never  bleed  their  cattle  for  this  purpose,  when 


316  APPENDIX. 

they  can  'procure  any  other  food;  he  says,  "the  mere  laborers 
would  not  get  a  potatoe  on  credit ;  they  would  gladly  take 
credit  on  any  terms,  if  they  could  get  it;  they  would  promise 
any  thing  before  they  would  beg,  which  some  are  obliged  to 
do,  and  to  leave  their  own  place  in  shame.  They  take  one 
journey  by  night  before  they  begin,  that  they  may  save  the  ex- 
iposure." 

The  Assistant  Commissioners  entered  into  the  cabin  of  a 
woman  laboring  under  the  disease  of  water  in  the  chest.  She 
said,  "  I  have  not  this  morning  been  able  to  rise  from  that  bed 
of  straw.  I  felt  a  sort  of  gnawing  about  my  heart.  The  only 
thing  I  had  was  these  few  potatoes,  (pointing  to  some  on  the 
ground  between  her  and  a  little  girl,  who  had  the  small  pox,) 
you  see  they  are  rotten  the  most  of  them,  and  all  are  wet.'''' 
"Yet  these  very  people,"  says  a  respectable  newspaper  editor, 
"thus  abandoned  by  wretches — fiends  in  the  human  shape, 
who  call  themselves  landlords,  exhibit  some  of  the  finest  feel- 
ings that  ever  adorned  the  human  heart."  When  one  has  a 
tolerable  coat,  he  lends  it  to  a  neighbor,  that  he  may  carry 
something  to  the  market,  and  look  decent.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Gibbon  says,  "  when  I  go  to  a  village  to  hold  a  station,  one 
man  comes  to  me,  and  confesses,  and  when  he  has  done,  goes 
oat  and  lends  his  coat  to  a  neighbor,  that  he  may  come  in  al- 
so ;  the  very  women  do  the  same,  and  lend  not  only  their  cloak 
but  their  gown." 

Mary  Carr,  who  is  a  widow,  and  who  is  rearing  up  a  found- 
ling, says,  "the  blanket  that  was  on  my  bed,  I  cut  up  to  make 
two  little  petticoats  for  the  child.  /  do  not  know  ichat  kitchen 
ineans.  I  am  not  able  to  buy  a  ha'  pnrth  of  milk  in  the  fort- 
night, and  have  not  tasted  a  herring  these  three  months." 
This  woman,  says  Mr.  G.  Cottingham,  is  a  fair  specimen  of 
the  widows  of  the  parish. 

In  transcribing  the  above  revolting  statements,  I  have  been 
almost  led  to  feel  ashamed  of  the  order  of  intelligent  beings  to 
which  I  belong.  It  cannot  but  fill  every  feeling  and  well-prin- 
cipled mind  with  a  holy  indignation,  that  such  scenes  should 
be  found  to  exist  in  a  country  that  boasts  of  its  religion,  and 
requires  so  much  money  for  its  support.  The  facts  are  not  the 
exaggerations  of  any  political  party ;  as  they  were  publicly 
and  minutely  investigated,  and  are  admitted  by  all  parties  to 
be  substantially  correct.  They  are  corroborated  by  the  state- 
ments of  the  late  Mr.  Inglis,  in  his  "Journey  throughout  Ire- 
land in  1834."  and,  by  all  others  who  have  lately  visited  that 
misgoverned,  and  unhappy  country.  At  this  very  moment, 
hundreds  of  poor  starving  Avretches  have  been  ejected  by  their 
rich  landlords,  from  the  half  acres  and  miserable  hovels  they 
occupied,  in  the  midst  of  the  most  inclement  season  of  the 
year,  to  wander  through  the  country,  houseless  and  forlorn,  and 


APPENDIX.  317 

to  perish  of  hunger  and  cold.  One  of  the  unfeeling  miscreants, 
who  acted  as  factor  to  some  of  the  landlords,  when  remonstra- 
ted with  on  the  dismal  and  destitute  situation  of  the  poor  peo- 
ple, who  were  deprived  of  every  shelter,  and  of  every  means 
of  subsistence,  had  the  fiendish  effrontery  to  declare,  that 
"  they  might  go  and  eat  one  another,  if  they  pleased?'' 

Even  ihe  .^^  Quarterly  Review,"  which  is  not  generally  very 
squeamish  on  such  subjects,  exhibits  a  becoming  indignation 
at  this  picture.  "  The  wonder  surely  is,  (says  a  Avriter  in  No. 
109.)  not  that  men  become  monsters  under  such  circumstan- 
ces; that  they  make  war  upon  the  world,  and  the  world's  law 
which  neglects  and  oppresses  them  ;  that  being  left  to  the  des- 
titution of  the  savage,  they  exhibit  his  disposition,  adopt  his 
system  of  self-preservation,  and  disregard  the  first  principles 
of  society.  Ko !  the  wonder  is,  that  philosophers  are  found 
audacious  enough  to  maintain  that  sufferings,  such  as  we  have 
related,  should  remain  unrelieved,  in  order  to  keep  up  the  char- 
itable sympathies  of  the  people  for  each  other,  uncontamina- 
ted  by  the  odious  interference  of  a  legal  provision  for  the  des- 
titute." And  again,  "the  social  virtues  are  stifled  in  an  at- 
mosphere of  such  misery  and  selfishness,  for  the  instinct  of 
self-preservation  overpowers  every  other  feeling." 

Perhaps  there  are  few  instances  of  covetousness  more  palpa- 
ble and  odious,  than  are  displayed  in  reference  to  the  facts 
that  have  been  now  stated.  It  is  a  striking  feature  connected 
with  these  facts — that,  while  thousands  of  poor  creatures  are 
living  in  roofless  huts,  with  nothing  but  a  cold  damp  floor  to 
lie  upon,  and  not  even  enough  of  a  few  rotten  potatoes  for  their 
food, — the  nobility,  gentry,  and  rich  landlords,  seldom  contrib- 
ute in  the  leasts  to  relieve  their  misery,  while  none  are  more 
loud  in  their  bawlings  about  religion,  and  the  support  of  the 
church.  It  is  a  most  unhappy  and  unnatural  state  of  society, 
that  w^hen  thousands  are  revelling  in  the  midst  of  luxury  and 
debauchery,  there  should  be  tens  of  thousands  immediately 
around  them,  suffering  every  privation,  and  many  of  them  ab- 
solutely perishing  for  want  in  the  midst  of  plenty  and  splen- 
dor. That  such  scenes  should  be  daily  realized  in  a  country 
blessed  with  fertility,  and  a  fine  climate ;  in  a  country  where 
so  much  wealth  is  lavished  in  folly  and  extravagance,  and 
where  so  many  enormous  pensions  and  sinecures  are  enjoyed, 
both  from  the  church  and  the  state,  cannot  but  fill  every  gen- 
erous mind  with  swelling  indignation.  Here  is  surely  a  fine 
opportunity  for  wealthy  gentlemen  of  benevolent  feelings,  to 
come  forward  and  display  their  generosity.  What  might  hin- 
der them  from  purchasing  some  of  the  Irish  moors,  and  moss- 
es, and  wastes,  and  setting  thousands  of  the  laboring  poor  to 
bring  them  into  a  state  of  cultivation,  and  to  rear  for  themselves 
comfortable  habitations  ?  The  blessing  of  thousands  ready  to 
perish  would  rest  upon  them,  and  their  OAvn  hearts  would  feel  a 


318  APPENDIX. 

satisfaction  superior  to  all  the  pleasures  derived  from  pomp  and 
pageantry,  and  riotous  abundance. 

What  becomes  of  all  that  wealth  which  has  been  bestowed 
on  the  Bishops,  Deans,  and  many  of  the  Rectors  of  ihe  Epis- 
copal church ;  the  one  half  of  which  would  go  a  great  way 
towards  meliorating  the  condition  of  the  lower  clasps  of  the  pop- 
ulation of  Ireland  ?  When  the  lands,  and  other  emoluments 
were  first  allotted  to  the  bishops,  it  was,  on  the  provision,  that 
the  one  half,  or  at  least  the  one  third  of  the  proceeds  should  be 
devoted  to  the  poor.  This  appears  to  be  admitted  by  the  be- 
nevolent Archbishop  of  Tuam,  in  his  evidence  staled  above. 
"If  the  church  lands,"  says  the  Archbishop,  "be  re-appropri- 
ated to  the  original  destination^  a  large  fund  would  be  suppli- 
ed to  the  support  of  the  people."  And  would  not  the  one  half, 
of  incomes  amounting  to  eight,  teii,  fifteen,  or  twenty  thou- 
sand pounds  annually,  be  quite  sufficient  for  any  orcZer  of  m'in- 
isters  belonging  to  the  Christian  church  ?  That  such  an  ap- 
propriation has  never  yet  been  voluntarily  made,  even  when 
the  most  urgent  demand  for  it  existed — seems  to  indicate,  that 
there  is  a  glaring  want  of  Christian  principle  and  benevolence, 
even  among  the  ministers  of  the  Christian  church. 


Wrii 


Princeton  Theoloaical  Seminary  Libraries 


1    1012  01234  4885 


mi 

■' . 

.1'  ii.'i 

1  ji,,|,i 

1 

1 

H 

Ml 

1    '  ''■  ; 

i 
1 

1 

1    1 

.11 

llii 

iiiii 

il 

1 

1 

■h 

^^^K 

^Hgi 

^^^^^^^^Hl 

:V  :;ll 

■ 

USB 

1 

1 

^^^^^^^^^n! '' 

itUHiu 

